Portsmouth boss Danny Cowley is a panto star.... oh yes he is!
Pompey fans were given an extra treat at the opening gala night of Cinderella at the Kings Theatre with a surprise appearance by head coach Danny Cowley and his brother Nicky.
The theatre's showpiece festive event is dubbed The Magical Pompey Panto and it certainly had a Fratton Park feel to it on Monday night when the brothers appeared on stage towards the end of the first half.
The Fairy Godmother – the Pompey panto’s perennial ‘fat man in a dress’ Jack Edwards – was trying to work some magic with the help of Buttons (Joe Rowntree) in getting Cinderella (Michelle Antrobus) to Prince Charming's (Grant Urquhart) Ball.
As they searched for pumpkins to transform into a royal carriage, Cinders was despatched through a door to the garden.
Minutes later a familiar doorbell rang with the Fairy Godmother proclaiming it sounded remarkably like the Pompey Chimes.
And it proved a fitting hint as back through the door came not Cinders but the brothers Cowley to the traditional cheers of the revved up panto crowd, a few chants of 'Blue Army' and the Fairy Godmother starting a refrain of 'We've got super Danny Cowley...'
When asked what they were doing at the panto's Hardup Hall, Danny said he wanted to help out as he had heard they were looking for a coach to turn into a pumpkin.
The dismayed Fairy had to point out that Danny was confused because they actually needed... a pumpkin to turn into a coach.
The gag fell a little flat and deserved a better response, as pointed out by the Fairy, as an original Pompey extra added to the traditional corniness of the panto.
But at least, with Danny calling on Pompey fans to 'stay with us' after the team's poor showing in their 2-0 defeat at Wycombe Wanderers the previous day, the brothers weren't treated as the pantomime villains.
Cinderella: The Magical Pompey Panto runs until December 31 and tickets are available on the Kings Theatre website.