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Left to right: Pat Collins, John Goodbody, Bob Harris, Michael Hart, and John Jackson.<\/p>\nOn 30 July 1966, England beat West Germany 4-2 after extra-time at Wembley to win the World Cup; nearly 60 years later, five of the sports journalists who witnessed England lift the trophy for the first and only time met up to share memories over lunch\u2026<\/p>\n
By John Goodbody<\/p>\n
Left to right: Pat Collins, John Goodbody, Bob Harris, Michael Hart, and John Jackson.<\/p>\n
Five of the few remaining journalists who covered the 1966 World Cup met for lunch on the eve of England\u2019s latest failure to match the celebrated team of 60 years ago.<\/strong><\/p>\n Several of those 1966 correspondents, who could not make the anniversary occasion for health or geographical reasons, sent their best wishes, together with their memories of the tournament.<\/p>\n The five, who gathered in a London restaurant, were: former SJA President Pat Collins<\/a><\/strong> (then with the Sunday Citizen and later with the Mail on Sunday); Michael Hart<\/strong> (then Hayters and later the Evening Standard); Bob Harris<\/a><\/strong> (then Thomson Newspapers and later the Sunday Mirror); John Jackson<\/a><\/strong> (Daily Mirror); and John Goodbody<\/a><\/strong> (then Exchange Telegraph and later The Times\/ Sunday Times).<\/p>\n Recollections of dealing with Sir Alf Ramsey and the informal contacts with players \u2013 rather than the controlled press conferences of today\u2019s competitions \u2013 were among the conversational topics of the occasion, which was kindly noted by the Football Association with a donation of two bottles of wine.<\/p>\n Norman Giller, with the Daily Express in 1966, was a last-minute withdrawal for a domestic reason. He also sent a bottle of champagne.<\/p>\n The final question at the gathering was how many of the inevitably diminishing number from 1966 will still be alive and able to celebrate the 70th anniversary \u2013 and if, by then,\u00a0 England will have achieved at least one more triumph in the world\u2019s most popular game.<\/p>\n Further reading\u2026<\/p>\n 1966 and all that\u2026 but there\u2019s more, in new book marking 60 years since England\u2019s World Cup win<\/a> (June 2026)<\/p>\n The guts of England\u2019s glory: Duncan Hamilton\u2019s \u2018Answered Prayers\u2019 re-examines 1966 World Cup<\/a> (February 2024)<\/p>\n The SJA is interested in your sports media industry news and views. Keen to reach an engaged audience, including over 70,000 followers across social media? We welcome your enquiries \u2013\u00a0contact us here<\/a>.<\/strong>\u00a0We also offer\u00a0advertising and sponsorship opportunities<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n For information on how to apply as a Full or Associate Member of the SJA, plus details of our free-to-enter SJA Academy,\u00a0click here<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n