On Saturday 30th July 1966, England won the World Cup by being West Germany 4-2 after extra time in the final at Wembley.
Now, 50 years on, the Daily Mail recounts the Three Lions' heroics in stunning, evocative detail....
Heroes of an England long gone: A gloriously evocative minute-by-minute account of our World Cup win
It has been 50 years since Bobby Moore led England to World Cup glory
Geoff Hurst scored a hat-trick as England beat Germany in extra-time
Daily Mail recounts the thrilling weekend which encapsulated the nation
By Jonathan Mayo For The Daily Mail
16 July 2016
It's been 50 years since English football had its greatest ever day.
Here, the Daily Mail recounts the Three Lions' heroics in stunning, evocative detail.
Friday July 29, 1966
England manager Alf Ramsey’s family was so poor he couldn’t afford to go to the cinema until he was 14. He’s made up for it since then.
In the past seven weeks he’s taken his players to the cinema half a dozen times. Now, after their last training session before facing West Germany in tomorrow’s World Cup Final at Wembley, he’s assembling them again in the foyer of the team hotel — Hendon Hall in North London — for a trip to see Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines.
The film is showing at the Hendon Odeon. During the ten-minute walk to the cinema, passers-by call out to wish them ‘good luck!’ for tomorrow. Car horns beep in support.
Alf Ramsey took his England squad to the cinema on the eve of the World Cup Final with Germany
Ramsey demands 100 per cent commitment from his men.
Jack Charlton’s wife Pat is expecting a baby at any moment and Nobby Stiles’s wife Kay gave birth to a boy a few weeks ago. Neither player has asked to go home even for one night, as they know it would seriously jeopardise their chances of playing.
Two of the players, Jimmy Greaves and Alan Ball, still have no idea if they’ve been picked for the team tomorrow or not.
Most men put on their gladrags for the momentous occasion and wore suits and ties to the World Cup Final
Saturday July 30 — World Cup Final day
6.15am At Wembley Stadium, fans are arriving. Most of the men are in suits and ties.
6.45am Nobby Stiles is getting dressed as quietly as he can. He’s determined to walk into Golders Green to attend mass, as he has done every day of the World Cup.
A few floors below is the immaculate room of England captain Bobby Moore. He never starts a game without a neatly ironed kit. He uses a travel iron to press his handkerchiefs (and even his banknotes, according to Alan Ball). His trousers are lying flat under the mattress.
He is admired for his calm authority on the pitch and an uncanny ability to predict play. In the words of manager Alf Ramsey, he is ‘the heartbeat of the England team . . . the supreme professional, the best I ever worked with’.
7.45am Ramsey is having breakfast. He’s keeping his distance from Jimmy Greaves, who still hasn’t heard if he’s playing. Greaves takes Ramsey’s refusal to catch his eye as a bad sign.
Cissie Charlton was greeted by station staff as she travelled up to watch her two sons Bobby and Jackie
8.30am Midfielder Martin Peters and his room-mate, forward Geoff Hurst, read the newspapers. But it’s not England’s footballers who dominate the front pages — it’s their wives, because they haven’t been invited to the FIFA banquet this evening.
8.45am Alan Ball comes down to breakfast. Alf Ramsey tells him he will play. Ball phones his father. ‘I’m delighted,’ says Ball Snr, then adds: ‘Don’t dare come back beat.’
9.20am Ramsey takes Jimmy Greaves to one side to tell him he’s not playing — the team have played magnificently during his absence through injury and he’s reluctant to change it now. Greaves is choked with disappointment.
Jimmy Greaves was brimming with disappointment after Ramsey told him he was not playing in the final
9.30am Ball goes to the room of Jim Terris, the Adidas rep, to collect his payment of £1,000 for wearing Adidas boots in the final. It’s a considerable sum — Ball’s match fee is just £60.
11am There’s a clap of thunder over Wembley Stadium and hail starts to fall.
11.30am At the hotel restaurant, the squad are having an early lunch. Geoff Hurst has his usual pre-match baked beans on toast. Everyone else is eating chicken.
1.45pm The England players make their way to their dressing room. Some have telegrams waiting for them. Alan Ball has one from his father: ‘Be magic, little man.’
2.05pm Tina Moore is taking her seat in the rows reserved for players’ wives. She knows she and Bobby are lucky to be here. He has a secret he’s kept from Alf and the other players: in November the year before he was diagnosed with testicular cancer. A testicle was removed and he’s had three months of radiotherapy.
Around 80,000 England fans were at the showpiece, while 32 million Britons watched the final on television
2.15pm Nobby Stiles’s eyes are watering as he puts in contact lenses, which are large enough to cover the surface of his eyes and which come with a small sucker to pull them out again.
He’s already given his false teeth, wrapped in a handkerchief, to a reserve player for safe-keeping.
2.45pm ‘Come on! Come on! Let’s go!’ The players file out into the tunnel. The noise from the crowd is extraordinary. Bobby Moore, who is still carrying his shorts, finally puts them on — and they are, of course, immaculate, with an ironed crease.
2.46pm As both teams emerge, Hurst spots a banner that says: ‘Nobby Stiles for Prime Minister’.
2.47pm The Queen — in yellow hat and coat — and the Duke of Edinburgh arrive in the royal box.
2.49pm About 80,000 England fans are singing God Save the Queen.The English players are well aware the match has added significance because of who the opposition are.
Stiles was born in a Manchester cellar as the Luftwaffe bombed a factory nearby. Moore was four days old when the enemy targeted Barking power station in East London, where his father Bob worked. Bobby was taken to his aunt’s house and slept in a drawer.
German fans made themselves known on Kensington High Street and seemed to be in bullish mood
2.59pm Thirty-two million Britons are watching the final on TV. Only 15 million homes have sets, so most people are watching with others.
3.02pm Brian Bowker, who should be in the stockroom at Littlewood’s in Morecambe, phones in sick and is watching at his girlfriend’s house. His mother, hard at work in Littlewood’s cafeteria, persuades the manageress her son should be fired.
3.10pm ‘Turn that thing off!’ a woman hisses in the United Reformed Church on Richmond Green in South-West London at the wedding of Doris David and Ken Smith. In the congregation are men with earpieces attached to small transistor radios. Their wives are becoming irritated.
3.13pm German forward Siggi Held kicks a high ball into the England penalty area. Ray Wilson heads it down to the feet of German forward Helmut Haller, who smacks it into the net.
Bobby Charlton scored a brace in the semi-final against Portugal but his influence was limited at Wembley
England 0, West Germany 1
Lord Harewood, the president of the FA, is sitting next to the Queen. He can see she looks a little disappointed. ‘Well, legend has it that the side that scores first in the World Cup never wins it,’ he says.
The Queen smiles.
In Maidstone Fire Station in Kent the crew are in the mess room watching the final on TV. Suddenly the alarm bells go off. There’s a chimney fire a mile away on South Park Road. There is plenty of cursing.
3.18pm The England captain is brought down 15 yards outside the German penalty area. Always a quick reader of the game, Moore gets up, sees Hurst in front of the goal and kicks a high 40-yard ball. Hurst heads it sweetly into the back of the net.
Geoff Hurst ensures his country were not trailing for long as he powers a header past Hans Tilkowski
England 1, West Germany 1
Hurst is leaping for joy. Alf Ramsey is impassively chewing gum. At the Richmond wedding, there’s a suppressed cheer from the men with the radios.
3.20pm In the house in South Park Road flames are coming out of the chimney. An old lady takes the firemen into the lounge — they can hear the roar of the flames in the flue.
The leading fireman spots that something vital is missing. ‘Where’s your telly?’ he asks, desperate not to miss any of the final. The old lady explains that it’s in the back room, unused and still in its box.
3.22pm The sun finally comes out. The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh have sunglasses on. In South Park Road the firemen are watching the television as they work. They set it up in the lounge.
3.45pm Half time. Some fans are making a dash for the toilets, but there is an accepted practice of urinating where you are, with a cry of ‘watch out, chum!’
The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh were in attendance as Moore captained England to glory
3.54pm It’s pouring with rain as the players get back in position.
4.12pm The doorbell goes at 73 Longfield Avenue in West End, Hampshire. George Hallett is watching the football with his 13-year-old son Mark.
A double decker bus belonging to the Provincial Bus Company has pulled up outside. At the door are the driver and conductor, in full uniform. ‘Sorry to bother you sir, we haven’t any passengers and we could see through your window that you’re watching the final — could we join you?’ the driver asks. George is happy for them to come in.
4.27pm Hurst shoots. The ball spins into the air in front of Martin Peters, six yards out. Peters volleys the ball into the back of the net.
Martin Peters (left) pounced on the rebound from Hurst's (centre) shot to give England the lead on 78 minutes
England 2, West Germany 1
Stiles kisses the turf.
4.38pm Only two minutes to the final whistle. BBC commentator Kenneth Wolstenholme starts to wind up his commentary.
In the centre circle, Franz Beckenbauer jumps higher for the ball than a tired Bobby Charlton and heads it towards a hesitant Siggi Held. Jack Charlton — coming up from behind — leaps above him to head it.
The referee blows his whistle, believing Jack Charlton has pushed Held. A free kick to Germany ten yards outside the box.
It’s the last thing England want.
4.39pm There’s panic in the England defence. Forward Lothar Emmerich hits the ball with all the energy he has left. The ball falls to the feet of Siggi Held, who shoots across the goalmouth. Centre back Wolfgang Weber sends the ball flying into the net.
Wolfgang Weber throws a spanner in the works by equalising for the Germans to send the game to extra-time
England 2, West Germany 2
In the stands behind the royal box, Alan Ball’s girlfriend Lesley faints. Jack Charlton looks at his brother. Tears run down Bobby’s face. ‘This is it, we’ve had it now,’ he thinks.
4.40pm The game restarts. Almost immediately the referee blows his whistle. After a short break, they will go on to extra time.
Ramsey, furious at how many chances his players have missed, is trying to contain his anger. But he is also thinking about what he should say to his exhausted players.
He finds the right words: ‘Look at the Germans. They’re finished. They’re flat on their backs. Stand up! Don’t let them think you’re tired. You’re the better team — you’re the fitter team. You won the World Cup once. Now go and win it again!’
4.49pm As Gordon Banks takes a free kick, few of the England players look keen to receive it. For the first time they look tired. Bobby Moore, however, looks as though he’s just started the game.
4.55pm Hurst is making a run but the ball is falling behind him. He hooks it, the ball hits the underside of the bar then smacks the ground and bounces up.
Is it a goal? ‘Nein! Nein! Nein! Nein!’ the German players are shouting. But the Russian linesman confirms that the ball was in.
Hurst scores to give England the lead in extra-time, much to the annoyance of the Germans
England 3, West Germany 2
5pm At his palace in the cathedral close, the bishop of Exeter is engrossed in the final. In the cathedral, a congregation is waiting for him to lead a confirmation service. He has forgotten all about it.
5.05pm In a jungle clearing in Borneo, 21-year-old Corporal Philip Hall is in his radio shack waiting for the BBC World Service’s coverage to resume. He has kept jungle patrols updated using codewords such as ‘Team A – 1 Team B – 2’.
5.07pm Nobby Stiles decides to take a shot at goal. Suddenly all his strength leaves him, and he misses. The English fans groan.
‘Move, you little b*****d, keep moving!’ Alan Balls yells at him as he sprints past. Stiles can only just manage a jog.
5.11pm In the royal box, the Queen keeps asking: ‘How much longer?’
5.15pm Half an hour ago 18-year-old Mike Williamson, whose seat is close to the pitch and the England goal, was in tears when the West Germans equalised — but now he’s more optimistic. He can see five people getting ready to run onto the pitch when the final whistle goes.
The referee is looking at his watch. He puts his whistle in his mouth.
'They think it's all over... it is now!' Hurst leaps for joy after scoring the decisive fourth goal in extra-time
5.17pm Williamson, watching the referee, is now getting ready to run on the pitch himself with the five other fans. At the other end, three young men have the same idea.
The referee waves ‘play on’.
Bobby Moore kicks a spectacular, long, left-footed pass downfield to Hurst, who’s ten yards inside the West German half.
Mike Williamson and the others have made it on to the grass. Six policemen are chasing them.
‘And here comes Geoff Hurst, he’s got . . .’ starts Kenneth Wolstenholme. ‘Some people are on the pitch — they think it’s all over . . .’
Geoff Hurst hits the ball as hard as he can. The ball rockets into the top corner of the net.
‘. . . it is now!’
Wembley erupts.
England 4, West Germany 2
Moore lifts the trophy the world wanted to get their hands on, but Ramsey didn't get caught up in the furore
On the edge of the dog track around the pitch, PC Don Childs throws his helmet into the air with delight. The helmet flies backwards into the crowd.
Alan Ball does cartwheels across the Wembley turf. The German goalkeeper is in tears.
Ken Ashman has been watching the game from the stands with four German work colleagues. A Cockney leans over and very slowly says to him, ‘We . . . think . . . you . . . played . . . very . . . well.’
Ken doesn’t want to embarrass him so replies politely: ‘Danke schon.’
After making sure his hands were presentable for the Queen, Moore celebrates with the Jules Rimet trophy
5.20pm Moore suddenly realises his hands are dirty. He wipes his palms on the purple velvet drape covering the wall in front of the royal box. Then he bows and shakes the Queen’s hand. She smiles as she gives the England captain the Jules Rimet trophy and his gold winner’s medal.
Kay Stiles, watching with the wives, wishes she could tell her husband to put his teeth in.
5.22pm Alf Ramsey refuses to be drawn into the celebrations. ‘This is your day. You won the World Cup,’ he says to Nobby Stiles and Bobby Moore as they hand him the trophy. Ramsey holds it only briefly.
Journalist David Miller, watching from the Press box, is reminded of the time in 1963 when he had given the England manager a lift to Liverpool Street Station. Alf had said: ‘It’s not my team, you know, it’s England’s team.’
5.28pm PC Don Childs has given up looking for his brand-new helmet among the crowd. He knows he’ll be in big trouble back at the station.
The wives of the England players received a less than glamorous gift from the FA - a pair of scissors
8pm In the banqueting hall of the Royal Garden Hotel in Kensington, West London, the official dinner for all the players, officials and dignitaries is about to begin. They’re being served melon frappé.
8.15pm The players’ wives have been escorted to a burger restaurant upstairs. On the wall is a screen showing the banquet downstairs on closed circuit TV. The women’s mood has not been improved by the gift they’ve each received from the FA — a pair of scissors.
10.50pm The England squad haven’t stayed up this late for months. They are keen to get on and have some fun. ‘Thank you for everything gentlemen,’ Alf Ramsey tells them. ‘Now off you go and have a good time.’
At his home in Upminster, East London, Jimmy Greaves is getting drunk.
Peters and Hurst pummel Moore with pillows the day after the final and a night of raucous celebrations
Midnight There’s a conga line stretching down the Mall. Everyone’s chanting: ‘We won the cup! We won the cup! Ee Ai Adio, we won the Cup!’
Geoff Hurst, Nobby Stiles and Alan Ball, and their wives and partners, are at Danny La Rue’s club in Hanover Square.
Ronnie Corbett and La Rue are providing the cabaret. Their most popular routine is a parody of ballet dancers Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev — Danny is Margot Bunting and Ronnie is Rudolph Nearenough.
At the Playboy club, Bobby Moore is on stage, singing some early Stevie Wonder songs.
Ramsey refused to get involved in the celebrations with his players, but did take them for one more cinema trip
SUNDAY July 31
3pm Two days after their visit to the Hendon Odeon to see Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines, the England squad are once more at the cinema — but this time they are the stars on the screen. They are sitting in Elstree Film Studios, watching Pathe News footage of the final.
Ramsey notices that the elderly usherette who showed them to their seats is standing to one side, as there is nowhere for her to sit. He takes her by the hand, and gives her his seat.
The commentary says: ‘Into his gallant team the England manager Alf Ramsey instilled sportsmanship first and foremost. How well they applied his teaching.’
Ramsey watches the rest of the film standing up.
Extracted by Corinna Honan from The 1966 World Cup Final: Minute by Minute by Jonathan Mayo, published by Short Books, priced £14.99. © Jonathan Mayo 2016. To buy a copy for £11.24 visit mailbookshop.co.uk or call 0844 571 0640, Offer until July 23, p&p is free on orders over £15 for a limited time only.
Heroes of an England long gone: A gloriously evocative minute-by-minute account of our World Cup win | Daily Mail Online
Now, 50 years on, the Daily Mail recounts the Three Lions' heroics in stunning, evocative detail....
Heroes of an England long gone: A gloriously evocative minute-by-minute account of our World Cup win
It has been 50 years since Bobby Moore led England to World Cup glory
Geoff Hurst scored a hat-trick as England beat Germany in extra-time
Daily Mail recounts the thrilling weekend which encapsulated the nation
By Jonathan Mayo For The Daily Mail
16 July 2016
It's been 50 years since English football had its greatest ever day.
Here, the Daily Mail recounts the Three Lions' heroics in stunning, evocative detail.
Friday July 29, 1966
England manager Alf Ramsey’s family was so poor he couldn’t afford to go to the cinema until he was 14. He’s made up for it since then.
In the past seven weeks he’s taken his players to the cinema half a dozen times. Now, after their last training session before facing West Germany in tomorrow’s World Cup Final at Wembley, he’s assembling them again in the foyer of the team hotel — Hendon Hall in North London — for a trip to see Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines.
The film is showing at the Hendon Odeon. During the ten-minute walk to the cinema, passers-by call out to wish them ‘good luck!’ for tomorrow. Car horns beep in support.
Alf Ramsey took his England squad to the cinema on the eve of the World Cup Final with Germany
Ramsey demands 100 per cent commitment from his men.
Jack Charlton’s wife Pat is expecting a baby at any moment and Nobby Stiles’s wife Kay gave birth to a boy a few weeks ago. Neither player has asked to go home even for one night, as they know it would seriously jeopardise their chances of playing.
Two of the players, Jimmy Greaves and Alan Ball, still have no idea if they’ve been picked for the team tomorrow or not.
Most men put on their gladrags for the momentous occasion and wore suits and ties to the World Cup Final
Saturday July 30 — World Cup Final day
6.15am At Wembley Stadium, fans are arriving. Most of the men are in suits and ties.
6.45am Nobby Stiles is getting dressed as quietly as he can. He’s determined to walk into Golders Green to attend mass, as he has done every day of the World Cup.
A few floors below is the immaculate room of England captain Bobby Moore. He never starts a game without a neatly ironed kit. He uses a travel iron to press his handkerchiefs (and even his banknotes, according to Alan Ball). His trousers are lying flat under the mattress.
He is admired for his calm authority on the pitch and an uncanny ability to predict play. In the words of manager Alf Ramsey, he is ‘the heartbeat of the England team . . . the supreme professional, the best I ever worked with’.
7.45am Ramsey is having breakfast. He’s keeping his distance from Jimmy Greaves, who still hasn’t heard if he’s playing. Greaves takes Ramsey’s refusal to catch his eye as a bad sign.
Cissie Charlton was greeted by station staff as she travelled up to watch her two sons Bobby and Jackie
8.30am Midfielder Martin Peters and his room-mate, forward Geoff Hurst, read the newspapers. But it’s not England’s footballers who dominate the front pages — it’s their wives, because they haven’t been invited to the FIFA banquet this evening.
8.45am Alan Ball comes down to breakfast. Alf Ramsey tells him he will play. Ball phones his father. ‘I’m delighted,’ says Ball Snr, then adds: ‘Don’t dare come back beat.’
9.20am Ramsey takes Jimmy Greaves to one side to tell him he’s not playing — the team have played magnificently during his absence through injury and he’s reluctant to change it now. Greaves is choked with disappointment.
Jimmy Greaves was brimming with disappointment after Ramsey told him he was not playing in the final
9.30am Ball goes to the room of Jim Terris, the Adidas rep, to collect his payment of £1,000 for wearing Adidas boots in the final. It’s a considerable sum — Ball’s match fee is just £60.
11am There’s a clap of thunder over Wembley Stadium and hail starts to fall.
11.30am At the hotel restaurant, the squad are having an early lunch. Geoff Hurst has his usual pre-match baked beans on toast. Everyone else is eating chicken.
1.45pm The England players make their way to their dressing room. Some have telegrams waiting for them. Alan Ball has one from his father: ‘Be magic, little man.’
2.05pm Tina Moore is taking her seat in the rows reserved for players’ wives. She knows she and Bobby are lucky to be here. He has a secret he’s kept from Alf and the other players: in November the year before he was diagnosed with testicular cancer. A testicle was removed and he’s had three months of radiotherapy.
Around 80,000 England fans were at the showpiece, while 32 million Britons watched the final on television
2.15pm Nobby Stiles’s eyes are watering as he puts in contact lenses, which are large enough to cover the surface of his eyes and which come with a small sucker to pull them out again.
He’s already given his false teeth, wrapped in a handkerchief, to a reserve player for safe-keeping.
2.45pm ‘Come on! Come on! Let’s go!’ The players file out into the tunnel. The noise from the crowd is extraordinary. Bobby Moore, who is still carrying his shorts, finally puts them on — and they are, of course, immaculate, with an ironed crease.
2.46pm As both teams emerge, Hurst spots a banner that says: ‘Nobby Stiles for Prime Minister’.
2.47pm The Queen — in yellow hat and coat — and the Duke of Edinburgh arrive in the royal box.
2.49pm About 80,000 England fans are singing God Save the Queen.The English players are well aware the match has added significance because of who the opposition are.
Stiles was born in a Manchester cellar as the Luftwaffe bombed a factory nearby. Moore was four days old when the enemy targeted Barking power station in East London, where his father Bob worked. Bobby was taken to his aunt’s house and slept in a drawer.
German fans made themselves known on Kensington High Street and seemed to be in bullish mood
2.59pm Thirty-two million Britons are watching the final on TV. Only 15 million homes have sets, so most people are watching with others.
3.02pm Brian Bowker, who should be in the stockroom at Littlewood’s in Morecambe, phones in sick and is watching at his girlfriend’s house. His mother, hard at work in Littlewood’s cafeteria, persuades the manageress her son should be fired.
3.10pm ‘Turn that thing off!’ a woman hisses in the United Reformed Church on Richmond Green in South-West London at the wedding of Doris David and Ken Smith. In the congregation are men with earpieces attached to small transistor radios. Their wives are becoming irritated.
3.13pm German forward Siggi Held kicks a high ball into the England penalty area. Ray Wilson heads it down to the feet of German forward Helmut Haller, who smacks it into the net.
Bobby Charlton scored a brace in the semi-final against Portugal but his influence was limited at Wembley
England 0, West Germany 1
Lord Harewood, the president of the FA, is sitting next to the Queen. He can see she looks a little disappointed. ‘Well, legend has it that the side that scores first in the World Cup never wins it,’ he says.
The Queen smiles.
In Maidstone Fire Station in Kent the crew are in the mess room watching the final on TV. Suddenly the alarm bells go off. There’s a chimney fire a mile away on South Park Road. There is plenty of cursing.
3.18pm The England captain is brought down 15 yards outside the German penalty area. Always a quick reader of the game, Moore gets up, sees Hurst in front of the goal and kicks a high 40-yard ball. Hurst heads it sweetly into the back of the net.
Geoff Hurst ensures his country were not trailing for long as he powers a header past Hans Tilkowski
England 1, West Germany 1
Hurst is leaping for joy. Alf Ramsey is impassively chewing gum. At the Richmond wedding, there’s a suppressed cheer from the men with the radios.
3.20pm In the house in South Park Road flames are coming out of the chimney. An old lady takes the firemen into the lounge — they can hear the roar of the flames in the flue.
The leading fireman spots that something vital is missing. ‘Where’s your telly?’ he asks, desperate not to miss any of the final. The old lady explains that it’s in the back room, unused and still in its box.
3.22pm The sun finally comes out. The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh have sunglasses on. In South Park Road the firemen are watching the television as they work. They set it up in the lounge.
3.45pm Half time. Some fans are making a dash for the toilets, but there is an accepted practice of urinating where you are, with a cry of ‘watch out, chum!’
The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh were in attendance as Moore captained England to glory
3.54pm It’s pouring with rain as the players get back in position.
4.12pm The doorbell goes at 73 Longfield Avenue in West End, Hampshire. George Hallett is watching the football with his 13-year-old son Mark.
A double decker bus belonging to the Provincial Bus Company has pulled up outside. At the door are the driver and conductor, in full uniform. ‘Sorry to bother you sir, we haven’t any passengers and we could see through your window that you’re watching the final — could we join you?’ the driver asks. George is happy for them to come in.
4.27pm Hurst shoots. The ball spins into the air in front of Martin Peters, six yards out. Peters volleys the ball into the back of the net.
Martin Peters (left) pounced on the rebound from Hurst's (centre) shot to give England the lead on 78 minutes
England 2, West Germany 1
Stiles kisses the turf.
4.38pm Only two minutes to the final whistle. BBC commentator Kenneth Wolstenholme starts to wind up his commentary.
In the centre circle, Franz Beckenbauer jumps higher for the ball than a tired Bobby Charlton and heads it towards a hesitant Siggi Held. Jack Charlton — coming up from behind — leaps above him to head it.
The referee blows his whistle, believing Jack Charlton has pushed Held. A free kick to Germany ten yards outside the box.
It’s the last thing England want.
4.39pm There’s panic in the England defence. Forward Lothar Emmerich hits the ball with all the energy he has left. The ball falls to the feet of Siggi Held, who shoots across the goalmouth. Centre back Wolfgang Weber sends the ball flying into the net.
Wolfgang Weber throws a spanner in the works by equalising for the Germans to send the game to extra-time
England 2, West Germany 2
In the stands behind the royal box, Alan Ball’s girlfriend Lesley faints. Jack Charlton looks at his brother. Tears run down Bobby’s face. ‘This is it, we’ve had it now,’ he thinks.
4.40pm The game restarts. Almost immediately the referee blows his whistle. After a short break, they will go on to extra time.
Ramsey, furious at how many chances his players have missed, is trying to contain his anger. But he is also thinking about what he should say to his exhausted players.
He finds the right words: ‘Look at the Germans. They’re finished. They’re flat on their backs. Stand up! Don’t let them think you’re tired. You’re the better team — you’re the fitter team. You won the World Cup once. Now go and win it again!’
4.49pm As Gordon Banks takes a free kick, few of the England players look keen to receive it. For the first time they look tired. Bobby Moore, however, looks as though he’s just started the game.
4.55pm Hurst is making a run but the ball is falling behind him. He hooks it, the ball hits the underside of the bar then smacks the ground and bounces up.
Is it a goal? ‘Nein! Nein! Nein! Nein!’ the German players are shouting. But the Russian linesman confirms that the ball was in.
Hurst scores to give England the lead in extra-time, much to the annoyance of the Germans
England 3, West Germany 2
5pm At his palace in the cathedral close, the bishop of Exeter is engrossed in the final. In the cathedral, a congregation is waiting for him to lead a confirmation service. He has forgotten all about it.
5.05pm In a jungle clearing in Borneo, 21-year-old Corporal Philip Hall is in his radio shack waiting for the BBC World Service’s coverage to resume. He has kept jungle patrols updated using codewords such as ‘Team A – 1 Team B – 2’.
5.07pm Nobby Stiles decides to take a shot at goal. Suddenly all his strength leaves him, and he misses. The English fans groan.
‘Move, you little b*****d, keep moving!’ Alan Balls yells at him as he sprints past. Stiles can only just manage a jog.
5.11pm In the royal box, the Queen keeps asking: ‘How much longer?’
5.15pm Half an hour ago 18-year-old Mike Williamson, whose seat is close to the pitch and the England goal, was in tears when the West Germans equalised — but now he’s more optimistic. He can see five people getting ready to run onto the pitch when the final whistle goes.
The referee is looking at his watch. He puts his whistle in his mouth.
'They think it's all over... it is now!' Hurst leaps for joy after scoring the decisive fourth goal in extra-time
5.17pm Williamson, watching the referee, is now getting ready to run on the pitch himself with the five other fans. At the other end, three young men have the same idea.
The referee waves ‘play on’.
Bobby Moore kicks a spectacular, long, left-footed pass downfield to Hurst, who’s ten yards inside the West German half.
Mike Williamson and the others have made it on to the grass. Six policemen are chasing them.
‘And here comes Geoff Hurst, he’s got . . .’ starts Kenneth Wolstenholme. ‘Some people are on the pitch — they think it’s all over . . .’
Geoff Hurst hits the ball as hard as he can. The ball rockets into the top corner of the net.
‘. . . it is now!’
Wembley erupts.
England 4, West Germany 2
Moore lifts the trophy the world wanted to get their hands on, but Ramsey didn't get caught up in the furore
On the edge of the dog track around the pitch, PC Don Childs throws his helmet into the air with delight. The helmet flies backwards into the crowd.
Alan Ball does cartwheels across the Wembley turf. The German goalkeeper is in tears.
Ken Ashman has been watching the game from the stands with four German work colleagues. A Cockney leans over and very slowly says to him, ‘We . . . think . . . you . . . played . . . very . . . well.’
Ken doesn’t want to embarrass him so replies politely: ‘Danke schon.’
After making sure his hands were presentable for the Queen, Moore celebrates with the Jules Rimet trophy
5.20pm Moore suddenly realises his hands are dirty. He wipes his palms on the purple velvet drape covering the wall in front of the royal box. Then he bows and shakes the Queen’s hand. She smiles as she gives the England captain the Jules Rimet trophy and his gold winner’s medal.
Kay Stiles, watching with the wives, wishes she could tell her husband to put his teeth in.
5.22pm Alf Ramsey refuses to be drawn into the celebrations. ‘This is your day. You won the World Cup,’ he says to Nobby Stiles and Bobby Moore as they hand him the trophy. Ramsey holds it only briefly.
Journalist David Miller, watching from the Press box, is reminded of the time in 1963 when he had given the England manager a lift to Liverpool Street Station. Alf had said: ‘It’s not my team, you know, it’s England’s team.’
5.28pm PC Don Childs has given up looking for his brand-new helmet among the crowd. He knows he’ll be in big trouble back at the station.
The wives of the England players received a less than glamorous gift from the FA - a pair of scissors
8pm In the banqueting hall of the Royal Garden Hotel in Kensington, West London, the official dinner for all the players, officials and dignitaries is about to begin. They’re being served melon frappé.
8.15pm The players’ wives have been escorted to a burger restaurant upstairs. On the wall is a screen showing the banquet downstairs on closed circuit TV. The women’s mood has not been improved by the gift they’ve each received from the FA — a pair of scissors.
10.50pm The England squad haven’t stayed up this late for months. They are keen to get on and have some fun. ‘Thank you for everything gentlemen,’ Alf Ramsey tells them. ‘Now off you go and have a good time.’
At his home in Upminster, East London, Jimmy Greaves is getting drunk.
Peters and Hurst pummel Moore with pillows the day after the final and a night of raucous celebrations
Midnight There’s a conga line stretching down the Mall. Everyone’s chanting: ‘We won the cup! We won the cup! Ee Ai Adio, we won the Cup!’
Geoff Hurst, Nobby Stiles and Alan Ball, and their wives and partners, are at Danny La Rue’s club in Hanover Square.
Ronnie Corbett and La Rue are providing the cabaret. Their most popular routine is a parody of ballet dancers Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev — Danny is Margot Bunting and Ronnie is Rudolph Nearenough.
At the Playboy club, Bobby Moore is on stage, singing some early Stevie Wonder songs.
Ramsey refused to get involved in the celebrations with his players, but did take them for one more cinema trip
SUNDAY July 31
3pm Two days after their visit to the Hendon Odeon to see Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines, the England squad are once more at the cinema — but this time they are the stars on the screen. They are sitting in Elstree Film Studios, watching Pathe News footage of the final.
Ramsey notices that the elderly usherette who showed them to their seats is standing to one side, as there is nowhere for her to sit. He takes her by the hand, and gives her his seat.
The commentary says: ‘Into his gallant team the England manager Alf Ramsey instilled sportsmanship first and foremost. How well they applied his teaching.’
Ramsey watches the rest of the film standing up.
Extracted by Corinna Honan from The 1966 World Cup Final: Minute by Minute by Jonathan Mayo, published by Short Books, priced £14.99. © Jonathan Mayo 2016. To buy a copy for £11.24 visit mailbookshop.co.uk or call 0844 571 0640, Offer until July 23, p&p is free on orders over £15 for a limited time only.
Heroes of an England long gone: A gloriously evocative minute-by-minute account of our World Cup win | Daily Mail Online