PUBGOERS in Bradford were in good voice this afternoon as England raced into a convincing lead in their opening World Cup 2022 match.
Many pubs in the district were busy as football fans watched the Three Lions roar into a 6-2 lead against Iran.
The Telegraph & Argus visited The Woodman, in Manchester Road for, for what would be, an elongated first-half due to a head injury to Iran goalkeeper, Alireza Beiranvand.
Spirits were high in the lively and packed out pub, which has decked out its bar in the flags on competing countries, as well as decorating the ceiling with bunting showcasing the same designs.
Tony Whitaker, one customer, said before the match: “I’m very, very excited.
“I think today we'll perform very well.
“I think it’s just a warm up game for them, a nice result to put them in a good state for the next game on Friday.”
Mr Whitaker does not feel the tournament being in winter feels strange at all and predicts England to get to the semi-finals, with Harry Kane the nation's top performer.
The crowds in the pub were cheering, gasping and gritting their teeth as England kept knocking on the door.
Two punters wearing shirts from the 2000s donned plastic hats with the red and white of England's flag on them and then pulled out a large Gareth Southgate and Kane mask to pose for a photo.
Que 35 minutes and the building erupted as 19-year-old Jude Bellingham rose like a salmon to put England's first goal away.
The pub's landlady, as promised, picked out a random raffle ticket which equated to a free pint for the person with the corresponding ticket - earnt by purchasing a drink.
She might have thought the free pints would be flowing like Niagara Falls when The Three Lions started plundering goals as the half came to an end.
Sandy Metcalfe, another customer, added: “I’m just excited to come to the pub.
“Obviously I knew we were going to win because it’s Iran.”
The T&A then visited Q Gardens, in Stadium Mills, at Odsal Top for the second half, where managing director, Sean Lowe, proudly showcased the venue's new £4,000 sound system.
A large room filled with excitable customers sat in front of a huge HD projector screen could hear the silky tones of every pass, piece of control and the back of the net bustling as England began to purr.
Come the end of the match, there was loud applause from the fans in the pub.
One customer, who wished to remain anonymous, said: "It's a cracking start, I thought we played well.
"It's normally hard to break down Iran, so to score six against a team that only lost one nil to Argentina is fantastic."
The punter said it felt strange watching a World Cup having been out Christmas shopping a few days before.
But he added: "Most people are getting round it now."
Paul Jubb, Bradford City Disability Club manager, said: "It feels great to see them win.
"I think we've got a good chance of winning it."
Mr Jubb added on the tournament being in the winter: "It was horrible coming up here in the rain, it didn't feel like it's a World Cup.
"Now England have played it's good, it's going."
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