Ben Crompton enjoyed a special thrill on loan at Tamworth when he came up against the might of Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Cup. The Sunderland defender got to mark Mikey Moore for 60 minutes, Timo Werner for 30 and Son Heung-min for extra time – and he made sure he grabbed a photo with Son after the game.

Now he has that image with Son as a valued memento. The National League side stole the headlines over the weekend for their determined performance against Spurs in the third round tie. Crompton, who played the full 120 minutes, told safc.com about the monumental occasion for the Lambs.

“It was such a good occasion,” he said. “You could feel all through the town how big the game was. It was a great opportunity to give a good account of ourselves and I felt we did that. We beat Burton Albion in the round before and that was a massive day but who would have thought that Spurs would follow.

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“I was so tired after 90 minutes and then I saw Son coming on. In the end, I had to ask him for his shirt. He was like the nicest guy ever. He had time for everyone but all the Spurs players were the same. They really respected our efforts. I have uploaded the photo of me and Son and it’s now everywhere. It’s been a crazy time.”

The 21-year-old initially joined Andy Peaks’ side in November after scoring against them for Black Cats the week before in a National League Cup victory. The loan deal was recently extended until the end of January.

He continued: “Sunday’s game was my 10th start in a row. I’ve played nearly every minute. It has been the best experience so far. I’d like to think I have proved that I can deal with men’s physicality. I could never have imagined it to go so well. The group of lads are top quality. They made me welcome. They had a bit of expectation because of our performance against them the week before. It proves why the National League Cup can be so beneficial.

“The biggest takeaways are playing in front of fans in such a competitive environment. Even though my personal performances are important to me, it is now a different dynamic because every three points means so much. It’s an eye-opener and one I have loved. I’m taking on so much from every training session. The manager has been really good with me. He has put his trust in me and integrated me into the group from the beginning. All the staff have been very supportive.”

Crompton has been a regular feature for Graeme Murty’s U21 side in recent campaigns with his first-team debut coming in last season’s Carabao Cup tie against Crewe Alexandra. He explained his long-term vision after his recent progress.

“My goals haven’t changed,” he added. “I am a Sunderland player, I want to show I am capable of playing in red and white every week. Sunderland has given me a good platform to develop and learn. These experiences at Tamworth are hopefully putting me in good stead to continue my career on Wearside.”