FC Porto, Dillian Whyte and lessons from Pepe: Inside Bristol Rovers' Portugal training camp

"How the hell did this happen?"

That is what one Bristol Rovers supporter asked – and doubtless many others were thinking – when the club announced seven days ago they had played the reigning league and cup champions of Portugal, FC Porto, in a secretly-arranged friendly.

Rovers were beaten 3-0, but that did not detract from a memorable experience for Joey Barton's players, testing themselves against elite opposition and a prestigious one-time Champions League-winning club.

The game was arranged quickly. Normally pre-season plans would be cemented many months in advance, but this time around there were more pressing priorities for the Gas and their decision-makers. A poor start to the season and an up-and-down autumn left Rovers off the pace in League Two and thoughts of pre-season were on the backburner.

A training camp abroad came back onto the agenda in March. Thankfully for the Gas, Barton and his close ally Eddy Jennings have brimming contact books. Head of performance Tom Short sent out to the Algarve in March to scout potential locations and Rovers settled on Browns Sports Resort in Vilamoura.

Browns has two large grass pitches, two pools and a spa, and it hosts many clubs across many sports throughout the year for warm-weather training, including Rovers' League One rivals Sheffield Wednesday who moved in after the Gas flew back home a week ago. It was also used as a training ground for teams in Euro 2004.

As well as a gruelling week of training, Rovers wanted to play a game on their travels. Several options were discussed, including newly-promoted Championship club Sunderland, but nothing that suited all parties could be nailed down.

Until the phonebook came in handy once again. Two weeks before departing,