1st SEPTEMBER 2001

I know what I was doing on Saturday 1st September 15 years ago (2001). I coached at the local football club in the morning, played cricket next door for Farncombe Wanderers CC, with a chum RV Lewis. Guess which of us two was a county cricketer?). Lew got a few and I batter for 52, so we were both happy.

Then to cap it all, my dear wife and I were summoned to a friend's 50th birthday party in Farnham, a big affair with a marquee and all those sorts of things. Better still there was a TV on as we arrived showing Michael Owen's hat trick and England thumping Germany 5-1 in Munich. This was not a valueless friendly but a World Cup Qualifier! Gulp!! We had lost to them at Wembley in the previous October 0-1.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiBxyPqV1BY

In June 2000 the England team had beaten Germany 1-0 in Charleroi in the European Championship Group A, Shearer scored but the group table showed Germany bottom with one draw, us next with that one win. Portugal and Romania both beat us 2-3 and went through. Remember that?

During the rest of the World Cup qualifiers in 2000-1, we drew 0-0 with Finland away, beat them at home 2-1 and beat Albania away. In the next test, Beckham and Scholes scored against Greece in Athens, then came the Munich marvel. What ever happened in that match who knows, but the Germans were clearly not themselves?

Continuing our assault on the 2002 World Cup, having beaten Albania at St James' Park, then came the last crucial tie versus Greece at Old Trafford, Beckham's home and you know what happened then don't you?

We then went to Japan and drew with Sweden and Nigeria, beating Argentina. Then came Denmark in the second round 3-0, finally losing to Brazil in the Quarters.

(In October than year we played Slovakia in Bratislava in a European Championship Qualifier-2-1 win)