Authors: Gordon Banks
15. A very nervous day for me. My first game for England and Alf Ramsey’s second game in charge - against the old enemy Scotland, in 1963. I’m pushing away a low shot from Willie Henderson. Scotland won 2-1, both their goals coming from Jim Baxter.
16. The flying Englishman. A free kick from John White has me at full stretch in my international debut against Scotland. On this occasion I managed to keep the Scots at bay though that wasn’t always the case in this game.
17. Davie Gibson, Ian King, myself and Frank McLintock show our relief at the end of the FA Cup semi-final against Liverpool. This was the moment when I was ‘set up’ by a photographic editor from a well-known newspaper.
18. Oh dear! In my second game for England I’m mesmerized by the swerve of Pepe’s ‘banana’ free kick. Alf Ramsey was not best pleased. Off to my left in the upper stand at Wembley, one of the few Brazilian supporters present celebrates.
19. When I was a teenager, Charles Buchan’s Football Monthly was the football magazine. Unable to afford to attend matches on a regular basis the only way to see my heroes was in the Footy Monthly. When I was featured on the cover of the January 1964 issue, one of my childhood dreams came true.
20. Taking a high cross against West Germany in the 1966 World Cup final, oddly enough under no pressure on this occasion. Looking on, from left to right, are George Cohen, Jack Charlton, Uwe Seeler, Martin Peters, Bobby Moore and Lothar Emmerich.
21. Glory seized from our grasp in the dying seconds of the 1966 World Cup final. Wolfgang Weber’s equalizer should not have been allowed. Karl-Heinz Schnellinger handled the ball.You can see Bobby Moore appealing.
22. A golden memory of a truly golden day I join Martin Peters, Geoff Hurst, Bobby Moore and Roger Hunt to parade the World Cup around at Wembley. Notice how we are too exhausted to run.
23. ‘Give it here, Banksy.’ Winning the World Cup is the most difficult thing a player can do in football. It had been a long hard road and once I got my hands on the trophy I wasn’t going to give it up easily - not even to skipper Bobby Moore!
24. The boys of ‘66. There were no prima donnas, no cliques, no loners. We were a team in every sense of the word. Left to right, back row: Gerry Byrne (reserve), Harold Shepherdson (trainer), Jack Charlton, myself, Roger Hunt, Bobby Moore, Geoff Hurst, George Cohen, Bobby Charlton; front row: Nobby Stiles, Alan Ball, Martin Peters and Ray Wilson. Bobby Charlton looks as though he is about to be taken away as it has all become too much for him!
25. England -World Champions. Need I say more?
26. I spent countless hours after normal training working hard to improve my technique as a goalkeeper. Here I am on duty with the England squad. The glove I’m wearing seems to be the sort you often see lying forlorn in a road.