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50 years Ago Today

As an 18 year old on Saturday 30 July 1966 I went with my late Father to Wembley to see the World Cup Final. Dad had managed to get us tickets for all the matches played at Wembley & the White City Stadium. The tickets were issued before the draw for the Finals were made. Due to work I was unable to see all the matches but managed to see all the games which involved England. Our tickets in the old block B were standing and were high up. We were at the end where our 3rd goal was scored. My young eyes saw the ball hit the net behind the cross bar then bounce onto the line. Anyway it made up for the fact that the ref gave West Germany a free kick in the last minute of normal time which resulted in them scoring.

Both Dad & I were so shattered when we got home as we had given our all supporting the team. We never had a drink & were in bed before 10pm. Come 5.30pm today I intend to raise a glass to Dad & I expect that I will have a tear in my eye. How lucky was I.

Comments

  • Great anecdote

  • Never get tired of hearing stories like that. Cheers.

  • Lovely tale, hopefully my boys will have memories of me in a similar way.

  • In 1965 I travelled to watch WWFC play Walthamstow Avenue. In the programme that day was an advert for tickets to the world cup finals to be contested the following year.
    I contacted the FA and sent my cheque off for a block booking at Wembley for all the England group games, plus one at White City, France v Uruguay, a quarter and semi final, the third fourth place game plus the final, all costing slightly less than £25 and as luck would have it all but one including England.
    Funny thing was none of my mates who supported the Blues bought tickets.
    The opening fixture of England v Uruguay wasn't even a full house on night, imagine that today!
    Great memories of a different time. If you look at the crowd on the final not one English flag, just thousands of Union Jacks being waved.
    We were a United Kingdom back then.

  • Drove to Swanage for a holiday in a small hotel with wife and kids aiming to arrive in time for the match. Got there OK, despite the heavy traffic and no motorways then. Watched the match with other guests in the house on B/W TV. Then all went off to the pub and everyone was very friendly for the rest of the week. Great way to start a holiday.

  • I was 9 watching at my mates house, when Germany went one up my friends Dad started shouting t the tele, I we so scared I ran home, fell over Nd cut my knee, too embarrassed to tell my Mum it got infected, I still have the scar, will LP did our bit that day. Marlow Wanderer there were England flags but out numbered 10:1 by Union flags, more interestingly was the German flags mix in with ours, no segregation in those days !

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