FIFTY years ago tonight Sandra Connelly and her husband John, a Turf Moor legend who would go on to capture hearts and minds at Ewood Park, stepped out onto the streets of London with Geoff Hurst, Alan Ball and Nobby Stiles to celebrate their history-making conquering of West Germany in the World cup final earlier that afternoon.

Most of us can only imagine what it was like to be inside the England camp on that historic day, when Alf Ramsey’s side wrote their names into football folklore.

MORE TOP STORIES:

Half a century on they remain the only England side to win a major tournament, the only Three Lions side to even reach a major tournament final, and this week they have been feted once again as national heroes.

Their achievements all the more poignant for what has, or rather hasn’t, followed since.

Connelly, who had left Burnley for Manchester United when he was part of Ramsey’s 22-man squad for the 1966 World Cup, returning to East Lancashire just after the tournament to sign for Rovers, was the third of the 22 to die, back in October 2012, after captain Bobby Moore and Alan Ball. Ron Springett and Gerry Byrne have both passed away in the last 12 months.

But Connelly is survived by his wife Sandra, who still lives in East Lancashire. Just 26 at the time of England’s finest hour, her recollection of the night that London came alive in celebration is still crystal clear.

“It brings back a lot of fond memories. It was quite a wonderful experience at the time,” she said this week.

“I didn’t really see John until after the final. Alf Ramsey was a very strict boss and we weren’t really allowed to spend a lot of time ringing them up, certainly not to see them.

“On the day before the final I went down on the train with Lesley Ball, Alan’s wife, and Kay Stiles, Nobby’s wife.

“We were booked into the Royal Garden Hotel, which was where the players were going after the match.

“On the Saturday we met up with the other wives and went on the coach to Wembley to watch the match.”

The 120 minutes that followed, and Hurst’s hat-trick, are ingrained in the memory of football fans across country, even those who weren’t born 50 years ago.

But while the country celebrated, Sandra was waiting to see her husband and raise a glass to his achievements.

“After the game the wives came back separately from their husbands, which was right because there were so many people on the streets of London wanting to see the England team,” she added.

“There was a banquet in the evening at the hotel. We didn’t get to go to the banquet with the players, which was a bit of a disappointment really, it was the only thing I thought was unfair.

“We had a meal in a separate room, then we all went out into London after.

“We went out in little groups really. John and I went out with Nobby and Kay Stiles and Lesley and Alan Ball, and Geoff Hurst and his wife Judith.

“We went to the Playboy club and then we went to Danny La Rue’s, they made a fuss of us and we got a good table with champagne.

“All of London was buzzing that night. That was the culmination of a lot of hard work.”

Connelly had started England’s first game of the tournament, a disappointing goalless draw with Uruguay which was his 20th cap.

But the goalscoring winger ended up a victim of Ramsey’s wingless wonders formation which changed the shape of England’s team and tournament.

That match against Uruguay was Connelly’s last Three Lions cap, at the age of 27.

“John was disappointed, because he had been playing regularly in the games before the World Cup and he had been playing well at the time,” said Sandra.

“He was disappointed but it was such a close team that they were all glad for each other. There was rivalry of some description but they wanted the best for the team and they were always encouraging whoever was playing.

“I’m not saying he was happy he was dropped, he wasn’t, but he was thrilled to bits that they won in the end. He was very proud of what he’d been a part of.”

With only the 11 who started getting medals on the day Connelly had to wait until 2009 to receive his World Cup winners medal, joining the rest of the squad who had a watching brief on July 30, 1966, at Downing Street to finally receive the honours they had fully deserved.

That piece of silverware is now a proud momento in the Connelly family.

After the World Cup, Connelly swapped football for fish and went into the fast food trade after he hung his boots up, opening Connelly’s Plaice in Brierfield. He would serve behind the counter and talk football with the punters, many of who were unaware they were talking to a World Cup winner and a national hero.

“There wasn’t the money that you could retire,” said Sandra.

“But compared to other wages at that time they did ok. By the time John finished we had enough money to buy a really nice big house in Barrowford and the fish and chip shop.”

After the Football Association organised a reunion 25 years ago the players and their wives took it on themselves to make it an annual tradition.

“We’ve met up every year since then, at different venues,” added Sandra. “Sometimes down south, sometimes in the north.

“The men have played golf and the women have gone off to a Stately home and done their own thing and had a meal.

“It’s been really nice. I know most of them really well now, a lot better than I did 50 years ago.”

So close have the heroes of ‘66 and their wives become that Sandra has continued to attend the reunions since John’s death.

“The first year after John died I didn’t go, I was a bit dubious and I wasn’t sure if I really wanted to do it,” she said.

“But Roger Hunt’s wife, Rowan, said come back you’ll enjoy it. So since John died I’ve been the last two or three times and I’ve really enjoyed seeing them all.”

But 50 years on from 1966, it really is all over now.

“This time when we went, it was near Birmingham, and we decided to make it the last one,” said Sandra.

“It’s 50 years ago now, it seemed the right time. A lot of them are not well now, the blokes can’t play their golf like they used to, some have Alzheimer’s and other illnesses, so it was time really.

“It is emotional. But then again some of the northern wives I know pretty well now will keep in touch, we always send Christmas cards and things. It’s been nice we’ve been able to carry it on for so long.”