England Lionesses EURO 22 success places added…

England Lionesses EURO 22 success places added emphasis on Amanda Staveley's Newcastle United vow

I must say as a former England international who was lucky enough to score six international goals at Wembley I will be sitting transfixed to the telly come Sunday tea-time cheering on the Lionesses.

England vs Germany is the hottest rivalry in football for us and, my, do I want our girls to be crowned European champions. I think they will. I have to admit it straight away. I am a late convert to women's football.

But in their last couple of internationals England have won me over completely to such an extent that I watch all the games I can now regardless of who are playing.

I have been so impressed. The Lionesses pass the ball round so stylishly and counter attack thrillingly. The performance against Sweden, the top ranked team in the Euros, was truly magnificent.

Sunday tea will bring memories flooding back for me. To most people England vs Germany is all about 1966 when we won the World Cup with the Charlton brothers making history and I get that.

However for me personally you have to fast forward almost a decade. To March 12, 1975 to be precise. It was a significant day for two reasons - England were playing their 100th full international at Wembley and West Germany were newly crowned World Cup winners.

On a personal level it could not have gone better. We beat the world champions 2-0 and I scored my first ever England goal. In my very next international, a European qualifier, I scored all five of England's goals when we beat Cyprus 5-0 to set a Wembley record. I never played there again in the white of my country!

All my England caps came about when I was at Newcastle of course. I became a team-mate of three of England's World Cup winners - Bobby Moore, Alan Ball and Martin Peters - and it was one of them, Bally, who made my goal against Germany with a magnificent cross which I buried with my head.

We took them apart to such an extent that Franz Beckenbauer, the epitome of cool, rugby tackled me to the ground. I took that as one of the greatest compliments of my career!

I know the excitement and the joy victory over the Germans at Wembley can bring and pray the Lionesses are going to experience that unique feeling.

They were terrific in beating Sweden by four clear goals after a start which saw them on the rack. What is lovely is that the North East has always had a great input into the England team.

The second goal against Sweden, which effectively sealed the match taking it beyond their opponents, was scored by Lucy Bronze who, believe it or not, was brought up on Holy Island. How many top, top footballers can claim to have spent their childhood on the tiny island off the Northumbrian coast.

Lucy is so good she has been voted World Player of the Year and turned out for the best club side in Europe Lyon. She played for Sunderland, of course, who have developed a string of England stars including current top goalscorer Beth Mead and squad player Jill Scott who has more than 160 international caps. Two other girls, Steph Houghton and Jordan Nobbs, would have been in the squad but for injury.

Newcastle owner Amanda Staveley is determined that United will follow Sunderland into the big time. She is going to promote and push women's football on Tyneside and bring the team under the umbrella of the Premier League club.

Remember when Newcastle Ladies played Alnwick Town in a fourth tier game at St James Park in May their was an unbelievable crowd of 22,134. Victory early Sunday night at Wembley will bring an extra explosion of interest in women's football and NUFC would do well to become part of that revolution.

Show your support for the Lionesses and put the North East on the map below!

England Lionesses EURO 22 success places added emphasis on Amanda Staveley's Newcastle United vow

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