A MIDDLEWICH man who watched England win the World Cup in 1966 has shared his memories of the day with the Guardian.

Last Saturday marked 50 years since Bobby Moore lifted the Jules Rimet trophy in front of 96,000 fans at Wembley Stadium.

Mike Hough, who lives in St Anns Road, travelled down to the capital for the final on July 30, 1966, where England beat West Germany 4-2 after extra time.

After watching the most famous day in English sporting history, Manchester United fan Mike, who was 25 and lived in King Street at the time, raced back up to his pregnant wife and was home in time for Match of the Day.

“I went with my brother-in-law. He wasn’t meant to be going but one of my mates had an important pigeon race. We had gone to the matches together before that,” said Mike, 75.

“If you bought a series of tickets you entered into a lottery for the final. We had been to games at Goodison Park and seen Pele and Eusebio – we got the best possible draw.

“We were almost behind the goal. I have been very lucky and privileged to have been there.

“It was very exciting. I had been to previous matches and the final wasn’t the best game but it was the most exciting – it was tremendous. I didn’t want to go home.”

In the years after the final, Mike’s love for football drifted as the game continued to turn professional.

But he has kept his matchday ticket and programme, and even managed to stay close to his pigeon-racing friend.

Mike is now planning to offer his memorabilia to the library on Lewin Street to put on a temporary display.