John Smith's PNE Fans' Panel verdict: It never looked like a giantkilling would happen

​It then took another 10 years for us to repeat the feat of knocking out another top-flight side when two goals from the legendary Alex Bruce helped us to a memorable 3-0 win over Derby County under the lights at Deepdale.

The last and only other time we had beat top- flight opponents during my years of watching our team in the world’s most famous knockout competition was a 4-1 victory at Derby 15 years ago in 2008, which was hardly a major shock considering that they were struggling at the foot of the Premier League at that time.

Even though Deepdale was packed to the rafters after taking my usual seat, I noticed the absence of many season ticket holders who normally sit in the area around me.

I personally thought this was a real pity but after so many poor home performances understandable under the circumstances.

I was hoping against hope that the missing fans would live to regret their decision not to attend this game in person and that our customary run of glorious defeats in glamour ties against Premier League opponents would end my 50-plus year wait for a giantkilling, with the plus of it being witnessed on television screens all around the globe.

In reality though, it never looked like happening and although our performance against a multi-million pound Spurs side was no disgrace, their comfortable 3-0 victory means that we have now chalked up the unwelcome statistic of five successive home defeats.

In the first half Spurs had the majority of possession but we went in at half time on level terms with the dream trip of a replay still very much a possibility.

However an unstoppable 30 yard strike by Son Heung -min five minutes after the restart saw this dream start to fade.

The visiting fans who had been quitened a little by our resolute first-half defensive display celebrated by belting out their updated version of the song "Nice One Cyril".

For a short time after we tried to push up further forwards and force an equaliser but sure enough just as in the lyrics of the 1973 Cockerel Chorus chart hit their wish to "have another one" from Son were granted.

The South Korean World Cup star’s second goal drilled in from inside the area virtually killed the game off as a contest as the difference in class began to tell.

Son shared last season’s golden boot award for being the Premier League’s top scorer with Mo Salah, but even if Salah had been on the pitch and playing in a North End shirt, I think the game’s outcome may not have been no different.

This is no slight on Ched Evans who gets my vote for man of the match. Evans played like a lion but was starved of any real service to conjure up any threat on goal and was forced to drop deep for large chunks of the game.