We must celebrate Englands World Cup win 50 years on

On 30 July 1966 England won the World Cup.

To mark fifty years since that momentous occasion Ian Swirles from the University's Special Collections has located a number of images and cuttings from the Leicester Mercury Archive held by the University Library.

In a new Staff Blog, the Special Collections team outline how Leicester City had a representative in the World Cup winning team - Gordon Banks, who was rated as one of the best goalkeepers in the world and along with the rest of his team mates his name is synonymous with that famous victory.

England eventually won the game against West Germany by a score of 4-2. The match was forced into extra time when Germany scored a last minute equaliser.

The Archive contains a number of references to the victory on Monday 1 August 1966 which highlight Gordon's stellar performance and can be found in the article.

In one cutting the Lord Mayor said: “I was enthralled by the game and thrilled for Mr. Banks. I have only the usual woman’s interest in football, but once the game was over I decided we must celebrate.”

Another suggests that: "Leicester followers could be proud of Gordon Banks. He was never overworked but made several great saves and his command of the goalmouth must have created confidence in his co-defenders."

In recognition of his efforts, Gordon Banks received a civic reception in Leicester on 12 August 1966.