Ex-Portsmouth pair and former Everton and Burnley men make emotional return to Premier League strugglers

A Pompey title winner and a former Blues caretaker boss are in unison in the Premier League once again after answering an emotional call from home.

Sean Dyche has been appointed Nottingham Forest’s third manager of the season, having agreed a deal until the summer of 2027.

And, as ever, accompanying the former Forest apprentice are trusty lieutenants Steve Stone and Ian Woan.

It marks a popular homecoming for all three, having first met each other as young players at the City Ground, although it would be Stone and Woan who would progress to become huge playing favourites there.

As a trio, they have worked together since November 2018 at Burnley, maintaining the relationship at Everton, and now reuniting at Forest, who are presently in the Premier League relegation zone.

As an attacking right-sided player, Stone started his playing career at Forest, yet would later make a huge impact at Fratton Park in successful times under Harry Redknapp.

Netted eight times in 80 Pompey appearances

Initially recruited on loan from Aston Villa in October 2002, he would establish himself as a right wing-back in the 2002-03 Division One title-winning team which reached the Premier League for the first time in the Blues’ history.

Stone also introduced what would become an iconic routine, involving him attempting to gee up supporters in the North Stand before the second half kicked off.

It created a strong rapport with the Fratton faithful and, over the course of three seasons on the south coast, he made 80 appearances and scored eight times, including the winner against Manchester United in April 2004 at Fratton Park.

However, the former England man left Pompey on a free transfer in the summer of 2005 in somewhat acrimonious circumstances after a huge fall out with boss Alain Perrin.

He later told Played Up Pompey Too in 2017: ‘For me, Pompey was like a boy band coming back together for that final tour 20 years after quitting. It was my swansong, I’d had my best years at Forest and Villa and this was my comeback. It was my encore.

‘Yet I enjoyed it just as much as I did at Forest. The next two-and-a-half years were every bit as memorable as I’d had in my career. I didn’t expect that. It was a great, great time, and you don’t go through many periods like that as a footballer.’

Spent four years as a Fratton Park coach

As for Woan, he arrived at Fratton Park as an under-18s coach under Paul Hart in July 2007, his former Forest manager, and would spend four years on the south coast.

When Hart was initially promoted as caretaker boss in February 2009 following the dismissal of Tony Adams, Woan followed and their coaching ranks were also bolstered by Brian Kidd.

Having been appointed permanently after keeping Pompey in the Premier League, Hart endured a disastrous start to the 2009-10 season and was dismissed in November 2009, with the Blues rooted to the foot of the table.

Woan and fellow first-team coach Paul Groves were made caretakers - although their time in charge lasted just two days before the long-inevitable appointment of Avram Grant as manager was made.

The former Forest winger remained at Fratton Park after Grant and Groves departed for West Ham in the summer of 2010, becoming new boss Steve Cotterill’s assistant.

However, Woan left in June 2011 to take up the role of Dyche’s assistant at Watford, striking up a managerial partnership which has now brought both to Forest via Burnley and Everton.

And joined by Stone, the trio are challenged with revitalising a team which failed to win in eight matches under predecessor Ange Postecoglu, whose ill-fated spell lasted just 39 days.

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