Fans celebrate England's 'best performance'
Fans celebrate the first goal at the Gardeners Arms in Brown Lees
- Published
Football fans in Staffordshire have hailed England's "best performance in a tournament" after Ollie Watkins' last-minute winner against the Netherlands.
Crowds gathered at pubs across the county, including The Gardeners Arms in Brown Lees and at The Bellringer at Eaton Park for the semi-final.
Gardner’s Arms landlady Angela Meacham said she thought the team had played well and that the tournament had been good for business.
"We have such a cracking crowd in here, it's absolutely amazing," she said.
"The atmosphere, the families, I can’t describe it - it’s just absolutely amazing.
"Football just brings everybody together, it’s a brilliant atmosphere."
She is hoping for good weather on Sunday now.
"It really, really has helped business," she said.
"We're quite busy in the summer anyway but you see so many new people," she said.
One fan said they thought England's "name is on the trophy" after the perfomance.
Meanwhile at The Bellringer, one fan described the match as a "Southgate masterclass".
"I was a bit sceptical at first," said another.
"I thought tactics aren't the best, aren't scoring enough goals - but today I've got no complaints at all!"
Back at The Gardners Arms, one fan suggested Ollie Watkins should have come on sooner.
Another added: "For someone who hasn’t played many minutes through the tournament to come on, make an impact like that, and to win player of the match from five touches, it doesn’t get more of a dream."
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