Scenes of joy as the Three Lions roar on

Maybe it really IS coming home! Football fans in and around the Fylde coast are starting to believe England can win the World Cup after Gareth Southgate's men beat Sweden to reach the tournament's semi-finals.
Luke Young, 10, isnt old enough to have seen England in a World Cup semi-final before  but he saw them book their place there at Bradleys Sports BarLuke Young, 10, isnt old enough to have seen England in a World Cup semi-final before  but he saw them book their place there at Bradleys Sports Bar
Luke Young, 10, isnt old enough to have seen England in a World Cup semi-final before but he saw them book their place there at Bradleys Sports Bar

It is the first time the England men’s team have reached that stage in this tournament since 1990, beyond memory for many younger fans, and supporters nearly blew the roof off Bradley’s Sports Bar at AFC Fylde in Wesham when the Three Lions scored the goals which gave them a deserved 2-0 victory.

Dave Awde, a 30-year-old Preston fan from Kirkham, said: “I can’t remember a time when England were good enough to reach a semi-final, this is amazing.

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“I was too young to remember Italia ‘90 so this is a first for me in the World Cup.”

Luke Young, 10, isnt old enough to have seen England in a World Cup semi-final before  but he saw them book their place there at Bradleys Sports BarLuke Young, 10, isnt old enough to have seen England in a World Cup semi-final before  but he saw them book their place there at Bradleys Sports Bar
Luke Young, 10, isnt old enough to have seen England in a World Cup semi-final before but he saw them book their place there at Bradleys Sports Bar

Lindsay Robinson, 66, of Foxwood Chase, Westby, said: “Can we win it? Absolutely! I was 14 when we won the World Cup, I was living in a pub in Maghull with my family and I remember it well. We’ve got every chance to repeat that.”

Hadley Heald, 40, of Garstang Road South, Wesham, said “That was awesome. I have to mention Pickford. He was our best player. He didn’t have much to do, but when he did, he did the job so well.”

England will now play Croatia in the semi-final at 7pm on Wednesday.

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And fans in Blackpool will be hoping to avoid a repeat of one thing at least – a power cut during the second half.

Planes wrote 2-0 into the sky above Blackpool (Picture: Steph Sowersby)Planes wrote 2-0 into the sky above Blackpool (Picture: Steph Sowersby)
Planes wrote 2-0 into the sky above Blackpool (Picture: Steph Sowersby)

Pubs and clubswent dark briefly between 4.05pm and 4.13pm, with the electricity board saying 15,085 properties were affected by a fault. Some said they missed a goal.

Dismay was replaced by cheers when planes left a distinct 2-0 mark over the Promenade, however.

Call-outs:

RNLI and Coastguard volunteers were called out twice during the football: To find a six-year-old missing from the Prom by the Tower, and to help two people with a dinghy.