Sir Geoff Hurst relives World Cup victory with 1966 copy of the Green '˜Un
Howard Wade, from Millhouses, was a guest at the ceremony on Wednesday, held by the Star to honour South Yorkshire’s footballing heroes.
Mr Wade is the proud owner of a 1966 edition of the Green ‘Un, passed to him by his late father, which features England’s only World Cup triumph on the front page.
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Hide AdIn a stroke of luck Sir Geoff Hurst, who scored a hat-trick in the 4-2 victory over West Germany in the final 50 years ago, was at the ceremony receiving the Derek Dooley Lifetime Achievement Award.
Mr Wade seized his chance and caught a moment with the England legend. He showed him the old copy of the Green ‘Un, and got him to sign the front page.
“I’ve always thought one day I should show it to someone,” said Mr Wade.
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Hide Ad“I have met Sir Geoff before, but the significance was the moment itself at the Star awards.
“I nearly didn’t ask him to sign it, but only because I didn’t want to damage it. But I thought ‘why not?’.”
Mr Wade also sought out Star editor Nancy Fielder to show her his prized Green ‘Un.
“It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a long time,” he said.
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Hide AdAs a Sheffield United fan, Mr Wade said it was a ‘hard pill to swallow’ to see rivals Sheffield Wednesday doing so well this season, but added: “The awards showed some real positive things in South Yorkshire.”