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Port Vale’s Tom Pope told his Twitter followers he would shine against John Stones, duly did so and – despite FA Cup defeat – just about ended up with a Manchester City souvenir for his efforts.
The 34-year-old striker could not have dreamed after his summer tweet, stating he would “get 40 a season” playing against Stones, that they would face off in the FA Cup six months later.
After heading the equaliser in a third-round tie Vale eventually lost 4-1, Pope wondered if he was given the cold shoulder from Stones’ team-mates as he looked to swap shirts with a City star after the game.
“I managed to get Zinchenko’s – the rest of them pied me off,” he told BBC Sport.
“I never dreamed I would score and would have been happy to have a few touches.”
‘It’s actually 50 a season’
In June, after watching England lose to the Netherlands on television, the former Bury, Rotherham and Crewe forward wrote: “I know I’m a League Two player, I know he plays for England, I know he’s on £150K a week, I know he’s a million times better player than me but I’d love to play against John Stones every week!
“I’d get 40 a season.”
Immediately after defeat at Etihad Stadium, he tweeted: “I’d just like to say I was completely wrong and bang out of order to say I’d score 40 a season….. it’s more like 50.”
A fine glancing header duly gave Pope one goal from one game against the Premier League winner.
Port Vale’s Twitter account promptly called for their front man to be given “a knighthood right now”, but goals from Zinchenko, Sergio Aguero, Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Phil Foden were enough to send holders City into round four.
Selfies, wine and laughs at Popey
Both sets of players shared selfies in the Manchester City changing room after the fixture, and Vale manager John Askey said: “City could not have treated us any better.
“They have really looked after us. They invited the players in after the game and they have been having a bit of a laugh, especially about Popey and John Stones as you can imagine.
“Tom might be on Twitter tonight. I hope he doesn’t get himself into trouble.
“I wish he didn’t do it, because sometimes it can wind the opposition up, but if he goes and does scores, then you can’t argue.
“He tries to do it in a humorous way and there is no harm in what he does. It causes him more problems than it does the football club.”
Askey was invited to share a glass of wine with Pep Guardiola after the defeat and said the City boss showed himself to be a “true gent”.
“When the equaliser went in, did you think you had a chance,” Askey told BBC Sport.
“I was waiting for someone to pinch me and wake me up. No, I thought I was dreaming. It wasn’t just that it was a goal, it was the way it was scored as well.
“I am just a bit disappointed with the goals that we conceded – two were VAR decisions which were within a whisker of being offside – and the first one was a deflected shot that was going wide. I couldn’t have really have asked much more from my players.”
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