A 68-YEAR-OLD referee who witnessed England surge to victory in the 1966 World Cup final has appeared in a book commemorating 50 years since the achievement.

The publication, titled ‘66 ON ‘66: I was there – memories from English football’s greatest day’, hit stores in May.

It gives readers the chance to hear the experiences of 66 individuals who were in the ground to see the unforgettable Wembley encounter unfold.

Ron Schofield was working at McCorquodale printers in Newton-le-Willows when the World Cup came to England.

He obtained a group ticket which enabled him to see all the group three matches at Old Trafford and Goodison Park, the thrilling quarter-final between Portugal and North Korea and the semi-final between West Germany and the Soviet Union.

But after striking his luck in a draw, Ron earned a ticket for the final at Wembley, which ended in a 4-2 victory for England against West Germany.

“Four of us went down to Wembley for the final – two of the bosses from McCorquodale’s and a colleague of mine,” he said.

“We went down in a Mini which made it a very long journey, although having been to the 1965 FA Cup Final when Liverpool beat Leeds 2-1, I was becoming quite well travelled.”

In 1978, aged 30, Ron took up refereeing and quickly became secretary of Warrington Referees’ Society and before long had qualified as a class one official.

Between 1970 and 1990 he did not miss a single Liverpool match in the country.

But it was that devotion to the Merseyside club which ‘hindered’ his chances of progressing further up the refereeing ladder.

However, he did become chairman and subsequently president of the society.

He added: “Now I just referee on a Saturday morning in small-sided games and enjoy it very much."

Author Matthew Eastley is due to appear on BBC’s The One Show this week to discuss his book.