'Why England can do it – and how we'll all bask in the warm glow of success'

I remember having that dream for years, even before the Lightning Seeds and Baddiel and Skinner wrote the famous song that has been belting out of speakers all over the country during the latter stages of Euro 2024.

I was at the Stourbridge Glassboys Bar for the Switzerland game and Cannock's Bar Sport for The Netherlands and came away with a number of thoughts and a warm glow from talking to the happy fans and an ex footballer in Neil 'Razor' Ruddock. Our photographers were also at The Compasses in Ludlow and it was the same – grown men and women dancing around the bar.

Even though I am long past the point of wearing an England shirt, singing songs and hugging strangers when the result goes the right way – people who know me will find it hard to believe I once did – there was a massive buzz for me to see people doing just that at both venues, fuelled perhaps by the fact England came from behind twice to win and once on penalties.

I have history with Holland and felt England owed them a result. I was in Rotterdam in 1993 when Holland beat England 2-0 to virtually end hopes of qualification for the World Cup in the USA – did I not like that at the time.

England were on the wrong end of a bad decision that night when Ronald Koeman should have been sent off for pulling back David Platt as he was clear on goal and a penalty was seemingly awarded – Koeman stayed on the field and the penalty became a fruitless free kick.

Koeman would go onto score his own free kick in a 2-0 win and the game was so iconic a documentary came out featuring touchline footage of the embattled England boss Graham Taylor and his assistants.

Three years later England would host Euro '96 when the Three Lions song hit the top of the charts and England lost on penalties in the semi final, now manager Gareth Southgate famously one of the culprits who missed a kick. But the memory I took away from it was a 4-1 win over Holland in which England blew them away with some of the best football I have ever seen.

Still in my 20s, the party afterwards was incredible and people who didn't even like football before then were hugging each other and singing together,

In the case of Razor Ruddock,we had a chat at Bar Sport before the game on Wednesday and one thing that struck me amongst the light hearted conversation was how proud his dad was for him to have won his one England cap in a friendly which he joked about but rightly pointed out 'One more than you' to the host on stage.

I didn't get to see much of the game but I know Harry Kane's penalty was a bit dubious which made me think back to Rotterdam 1993 and a few other moments where decisions didn't go England's way, the World Cup of 1986 is one that comes to mind.

Some of the people present may not have been born when those took place but what I have took away from the last two games is England may have had some luck but they have learned how to be winners, whether on penalties or by digging in when things are tough or they go behind.

I was delighted for Razor and all the fans I met and for them, I am of the belief that England now really can 'bring it home.'