Forgotten
It was just over two years ago a young and inexperienced England side amazed even the most optimistic fan by coming within a whisker of reaching the World Cup Final. Had they done so, Gareth Southgate’s men would have walked in the footsteps of the heroes of 1966. And while the county celebrated in style in 2018 as the team marched into the semi-finals, just as we did in 1990, you can just imagine the scenes of jubilation when Bobby Moore lifted the Jules Rimet trophy in front of a packed Wembley Stadium 54 years ago.
But there were also plenty of quirky stories in Kent surrounding the tournament.
We took a delve into the past to have a look at the quirky stories lost in time around England’s greatest footballing triumph… but also giving him the chance to witness one of the most celebrated sporting moments in our nation’s history.
He worked for pharmaceutical firm Smith Kline and French, which then had laboratories near Hildenborough. Tasked with making a visit to the firm’s headquarters in Welwyn Garden City on the Tuesday before the final, he was taken to lunch at a hotel in which the German football team were staying.
They clearly got on like a house on fire as he left the lunch clutching a prized ticket to the big match. the case back in the day, renting television sets?
Then you’ll understand that on the day of the World Cup Final, there was plenty of demand to watch the big match – even if it was through the window of a TV store.
However, things got a little heated in Margate when large crowds gathered outside a showroom in the town centre. In fact so large was the pavement audience, a policeman had to go into the shop to tell the owner to turn the TV off so the crowd would disperse. Which, as you can probably imagine, didn’t play too well with those watching the action.
But, for one viewer, who had worked at the nearby Butlins holiday camp, it all became a bit much.