A GOLDEN FIFTY YEARS (AGO)

"July 30th 1966. Showers but mainly sunny and dry. Get up late, get food for the party and lounge about. John Bartlett had "dinner" with us, steak and kidney pie and in the afternoon we all went round his house to watch the Final. His parents were away on holiday, mine were at home and when ever England scored I phoned my dad. Whe Geoff Hurst smashed in his third and England's final goal, we jumped out of his sitting room windows onto the front lawn and rolled around!
The party afterwards was fun although there was a lack of girls"

Such was life in Rectory Close, Pulborough at the age of 15.

32.3 million watched the game on BBC or ITV although only 15 million apparently owned a TV set. 400m were said to have watched the final globally in 75 countries. The red of England and the white of West Germany was imagined in shades of grey!

The night before the game Alf Ramsey took the players and his assistants to the Hendon Odeon to watch "Those magnificant men in the flying machines".
Name the players!

Geoff Hurst was told he would be starting the game at the cinema and when he let out the secret to room mate Martin Peters, he found out that his colleague would be starting too.
Bobby Charlton, the superb goal scorer, was instructed to man mark Beckenbauer.
Nobby Stiles went to Mass on the morning of the game while Alan Ball collected £1000 from the Adidas rep for wearing their boots.
Gordon Banks and a few team mates went shopping in Hendon High Street whilst Ray Wilson went to Golders Green to buy shoes for the reception in the evening.
George Cohen read the programme from cover to cover in the dressing room before the game.
If only Roger Hunt had knocked in the "rebound" as the ball bounced off the line when Hurst scored his "controversial" goal.
Jack Charlton had to give a urine sample immediately at the end of the game-his fourth sample in six matches. the doctors gave him a union jack hat with the Jimmy Riddle trophy written on the front.
Helmut Haller took the match ball at the end of the game.
Bobby Moore made a point of wiping his hands on his shorts and then the velvet cover on the royal box just before shaking hands with the Queen.
Alf could not be persuaded by his captain to join the pitch celebrations. The Dagenham born manager remained aloof from his players although his statement "Gentleman, most certainly we will win the World Cu" rang true.

The players wives were not allowed to join their partners for the post match reception at the Royal Garden Hotel, Kensington.
They had to sit in an adjoining room to enjoy their own celebration. Six weeks they had been separated from their men! But the FA made up for that by presenting every one of the ladies with a celebratory pair of scissors.
The players having doffed their caps to the FA officials during the dinner joined their wives at the Danny La Rue club afterwards.
Jack Charlton then went onto Leytonstone with an old friend, stayed there for the rest of the evening and slept at his house. His pregnant wife, who didn't join him, and his mother Cissie ticked him off the following afternoon when he emerged.
And Jimmy Greaves? So sad.