Fans who saw England's 1966 World Cup win relive it 60 years on
Football fans who were at Wembley Stadium on 30 July 1966 have marked the nearly 60 years since the England men's team's greatest sporting triumph, recalling a day of "magic, nerves, and yet unrepeated history".Three men who witnessed England's 4-2 victory over West Germany in the World Cup final came together at Hendon Hall in north London, where England's squad were based during the tournament under manager Alf Ramsey.A hotel until 2018, Hendon Hall has since been converted into a care home.As part of Care Home Open Week, residents and guests gathered in the building's Bobby Moore Bar, surrounded by World Cup memorabilia, for a special rerun of the full match.Among those watching was Jeff Goldston, who secured a spot directly behind the goal at Wembley on that fateful afternoon."My ticket for the final was 10 shillings and sixpence, which is 55p," Goldston told the room. Adjusted for inflation, he researched that the ticket would cost £8 in today's economy.Recalling the heart-stopping moment Geoff Hurst completed his hat-trick to seal England's 4-2 win, Goldston said: "I was literally behind the net."Hurst was running towards me, and then he just hit it, and the net bulged towards me and everybody just went mad. It was just incredible."The screening brought back the intense anxiety felt by the 93,000-strong crowd as West Germany scored a last-minute equaliser to force extra time."And then to our horror... Head in hands time. Head in hands time, and, 'Oh, no,'" Cohen said.The match is partly remembered for Geoff Hurst's controversial second goal which struck the underside of the crossbar.Goldston admitted: "We saw it hit the underside of the bar, but we didn't know anything after that. We didn't know it had gone in."Cohen, who watched the drama unfold from just 12 rows from the front, added: "I couldn't see whether the ball was over the line or not."But who am I to say? The linesman makes the decision, and the referee agreed it, so there it was."Also in the audience was fellow resident Sidney Perez, who recounted the early tension of the afternoon."We were 1-0 down fairly early on. It was exciting but worrying," he said.The screening concluded with Kenneth Wolstenholme's iconic commentary line: "Some people are on the pitch! They think it's all over... it is now!"For Cohen, the screening brought back a long-running family joke about where the match ranks among the best moments of his life.Addressing the room, he said: "Marion went around telling our friends that Edward says that he's had three magnificent days in his lifetime: the day we got married, the day our first child was born, and the day England won the World Cup. But not necessarily in that order."
