A football fanatic from Watford who saw England win the World Cup in 1966 has said he feels “privileged” to be working at Wembley on Sunday.

Tony Stopford, 66, was 12 when he saw England beat West Germany 4-2, after his father secured tickets to the game.

He will once again be at the stadium on Sunday as England bid to win their first major tournament since the World Cup triumph – an experience he hailed as “phenomenal”.

He told the PA news agency: “[In 1966] the day was just phenomenal, going up to Wembley, getting amongst the crowd.

“One of the big things I remember was waiting for that Russian linesman, the referee, to give us that third goal, just sitting there and waiting, and everyone held their breath.

Watford Observer: Tony Stopford said the 1966 World Cup final win was "phenomenal"Tony Stopford said the 1966 World Cup final win was "phenomenal"

“And it took quite a long time for him to have a chat, and then he pointed to the centre spot and the crowd went mad.”

The 66-year-old, who supports Queens Park Rangers, compared the build up to Sunday with the World Cup triumph, pointing to the public throwing their weight behind the team.

“I’ve just been outside now and nearly every house has got an England flag hanging from it and it’s great,” he continued.

“My next-door neighbours are Ukrainian, and when we played them the other week, at the end of the game they came in and said well done and congratulations, it was really good, and we had a beer together.”

Mr Stopford, who has been to numerous finals but never the European Championship, said being able to see Sunday’s match was made even more special given the England link back to 1966.

“I just hope England can get across the line and pick that trophy up when it’s time,” he added.