England fan admits ‘I have gone a bit mad’ with his St George-festooned house while Bruno the bulldog shows off Three Lions shirt ahead of final
- Benny Elcock, 59, from Yorkshire, said he has done the same for every major football tournament for decades
- The diehard supporter added that he is well known in the Clifton area of the city for his quirky decorations
- Jade Brooks’ bulldog, Bruno, was also seen sitting in front of bunting adorning a block of flats in London today
- It comes as Gareth Southgate rallies 35million fans by saying England should not be ashamed of its history
- Find out the latest Euro 2020 news including fixtures, live action and results here
An England fan admitted he has ‘gone a bit mad’ with his decorations after covering his entire house in St George’s flags and Three Lions memorabilia ahead of the Euro 2020 final tomorrow.
Benny Elcock, 59, from York, said it took him a couple of days to put up the display, but he has done the same for every major football tournament for decades.
The diehard supporter added that he is well known in the Clifton area of the city for his quirky decorations at Christmas and for other events.
Mr Elcock said: ‘My house is covered in England flags, I have bunting, dogs, little twirly things, balls and tiny flags – I’ve gone a bit mad.’
Jade Brooks’ bulldog, Bruno, was also seen dressed for the occasion in a Three Lions shirt while sitting in front of flags and bunting adorning a block of flats in Feltham, west London, this afternoon.
It comes as Gareth Southgate rallies 35million fans ahead of the final by saying that England should not be ashamed of its history and praising his squad’s role in driving ‘tolerance and inclusion’.
Benny Elcock, 59, is pictured standing in front of his house in York, Yorkshire, which he has covered with England flags and ornaments ahead of the Euros 2020 final between England and Italy tomorrow
A close-up shot of ornaments outside Mr Elcock’s home in York, Yorkshire. The England supporter said it took him a couple of days to put up the display, but he has done the same for every major football tournament for decades
Jade Brooks’ bulldog, Bruno, was also pictured sitting in front of flags and bunting adorning an entire block of flats in Feltham, west London, this afternoon
England’s men’s football team are now just one historic win away from their first major silverware since 1966 after their 2-1 triumph over Denmark earlier this week.
The Everton fan, who plans to watch Sunday’s final against Italy at home with his son and partner, believes goalkeeper Jordan Pickford has had a ‘brilliant’ tournament.
Mr Elcock said: ‘It took me a couple of days to get it all up but it’s kind of my tradition – I’ve done it for every Euros and World Cup. It’s just a bit of fun to show my support.
‘My neighbours and family love it but that’s what I’m known for in the area. I always get worried that England may get beat early on but I usually leave it up anyway.
‘I have to say it makes it a lot better that they’ve got this far – it makes the games a lot more fun with the display.’
He added: ‘I can’t wait for the game, I absolutely think we can do it, they’re a good team and they have got so far.
Mr Elcock seen standing in front of his house in York with his dog Reggie. The Everton fan, who plans to watch Sunday’s final against Italy at home with his son and partner, believes goalkeeper Jordan Pickford has had a ‘brilliant’ tournament
An aerial view of Mr Elcock’s home in Yorkshire, that has been covered with England flags and ornaments ahead of tomorrow’s highly anticipated final
Ms Brooks, who lives at Towfield Court in Feltham, London, pictured walking her dog Bruno ahead of England’s football team playing in the UEFA Euro 2020 final on Sunday
A resident poses for a photograph next to an England flag on the Kirby Estate which has been decorated in London today
A black cat stands next to an England flag at the Kirby Estate in London which has been decorated ahead of tomorrow’s final
A man takes photographs of England flags on the Kirby Estate in Bermondsey, London, as the England football team prepares to take on Italy in the Euro 2020 final on Sunday
‘I’ve really enjoyed the tournament, some massive teams are out and we’re still in it – which shows just how good the players and the manager are.
‘I was only four or five when we won the World Cup in 1966, so I can’t remember it. This time it’s coming home after 55 years.’
Mr Elcock’s enthusiasm comes in stark contrast to some fans north of the border and in Wales who ‘can’t take another 55 years of them banging on about this’ and are buying Italian shirts alongside even adopting the country’s surnames.
The front page of the pro-Scottish independence newspaper The National featured Italian coach Mancini photoshopped as Wallace in the 1995 epic Braveheart.
And Wales fans have joined in on the fun, taking to social media to post pictures of the Italian flag with the Welsh dragon in its centre.
Resident Ross MacDonald adjusts England flag bunting outside his home at Towfield Court in Feltham ahead of the England football team playing in the Euro 2020 final on Sunday
St George’s flags, the national flag of England, fly from residents’ homes at the Kirby Estate in Bermondsey, south London, on Saturday on the eve of the Euro 2020 final against Italy
England flags and bunting pictured adorning the exterior of Number 10 Downing Street in central London this afternoon
England flag buntings displayed at the Churchill Arms in London on Saturday ahead of tomorrow’s UEFA Euro 2020 final
The home of 55-year-old Paul Bibby in Chelmsford seen decorated with England flags in Chelmsford ahead of the Euros final
Former Wales footballer Owain Tudur Jones echoed The National’s thoughts, tweeting a picture of a topless Mancini with the caption ‘only one man can save us now’.
Meanwhile, Southgate has urged the nation to ‘stop looking at the negatives of our own country’ because ‘England has so much to be proud of’.
Britons tuning into tomorrow night’s clash are armed with the fervent hope that Harry will follow in the golden footsteps of Bobby Moore and lead England to glory by breaking the country’s 55-year trophy drought.
In Wembley itself, almost 70,000 fans will erupt into a cauldron of noise for the epic clash tomorrow, which kicks off at 8pm.
Southgate’s England team has been hailed for its social conscience which has seen squad members saluted for taking the knee against racism, making a stand on donating to the NHS, and taking the fight for free school means to Downing Street.
Gareth Southgate (pictured today) as urged the nation to ‘stop looking at the negatives of our own country’ because ‘England has so much to be proud of’ ahead of the Euro 2020 final tomorrow night
The players appeared to be in a relaxed mood after they were put through their final paces in an open training session on Saturday
Harry Maguire afforded himself a smile before getting down to work at St George’s Park on Saturday. In Wembley itself, almost 70,000 fans will erupt into a cauldron of noise for the epic clash tomorrow, which kicks off at 8pm
He looks set to partner John Stones (right) in defence while Kieran Trippier is also an option. Britons tuning into tomorrow night’s clash are armed with the fervent hope that Harry will follow in the golden footsteps of Bobby Moore
But as well as acknowledging a forward-looking nation, Southgate – whose grandfather saw service in the Second World War – is keen to hail its history and values.
The England manager said: ‘We have so many things here that we should be proud of that we probably underestimate that.
‘We are always looking at the negatives of our own country and yet we have got so much to be proud of and so much talent coming through in all industries really.’
He added: ‘For an island our size we’ve got an incredible influence on the world and we’ve got to keep that in a positive way.
‘There are historic things that we should be proud of. We’ve had unbelievable inventions in this country.’
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