Tom Ince tells an Ian Holloway training ground story

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As The Athletic is wrapping up its chat with Luton Town winger Tom Ince, he has one more story to tell. We’ve covered everything from playing under his dad to moves that never happened, life in the Premier League and reaching a glass ceiling with England Under-21s.

But few tales beat the one he’s telling about Ian Holloway, with a broad grin across his face.

“There’s actually too many fun stories about him,” he chuckles. “I’ve got a brilliant one for you. I’d only been there a few weeks and at that point Ian was staying down in Blackpool while he was finding a place. One week, we’re doing shape work on the Thursday for the game on Saturday. Some fella hops the fence — because Blackpool’s training ground is on the back of an airfield so anybody can get in over the fence — in a full England kit with ‘Beckham 7’ on the back and one of those string JD Sports bags over his shoulder. He’d got his boots on and everything.

“He starts walking over to the lads and I was wondering if anybody was going to stop him. He wanders over to Ian and introduces himself. Turns out he’s a waiter from a restaurant Ian was at the week before and this waiter had told him he was a Blackpool fan and could play a bit. Ian offered him along to training. I didn’t think it was real.

“All of a sudden we’ve got the 11 that are going out on the Saturday doing shape and… I think it was Kevin Phillips who pulls out, and Ian puts this waiter up front. All the lads are sending crosses in and saying, ‘I’ve put it on a plate for him’ and joking.

I was just stood there… I couldn’t stop laughing. What a man Ian is. A hell of a man.”

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