Simon Bassey has been friends with Pompey boss Danny Cowley for a number of years.
So the former Barnet manager quickly jumped at the chance to work alongside him for the first time.
He has been appointed the Blues’ new first team assistant coach after leaving The Hive at the end of the 2020/21 campaign.
And Bassey believes that he and the Cowley brothers all share a common drive to bring success to Fratton Park.
He said: “I was manager of Barnet in the National League from April onwards and then got a phone call from Danny.
“We’d spoken over a number of years about working together, but the opportunity never quite arose.
“So when it did eventually come up, I was delighted to accept his offer and now I’m thrilled to be here.
"We have a common obsession with football and how we like it to be played. There’s an alignment between us."
“Danny rung me for some players about seven years ago and I’d never met him before. We’ve stayed in contact ever since.
“We have a common obsession with football and how we like it to be played. There’s an alignment between us, as well as Nicky.
“This is a huge football club and we’re all here to be successful – in the short, medium and long-term. Everyone needs to get on board with that.
“There are good owners and the infrastructure is changing for the better, so we want to move forward and make Pompey a real force.
“Fratton Park is a brilliant stadium and always one of the best places to play. I love the old grounds and it certainly has one of the best atmospheres in the Football League.”
Bassey is eagerly anticipating the next few days, as preparations for the new campaign start to ramp up.
He said: “I can’t wait for the fixtures to come out on Thursday. It starts to feel real and you can begin plotting your journey.
“The boys are then in for testing on Friday and I’m looking forward to meeting them before we start work on Monday.”