England's performance on Monday morning was a very important game for us as a nation

I’ve been watching England come close but ultimately fail in tournaments as long as I can remember and I have the proud distinction, not that I’m terribly proud of it, to be one of the oldest people alive never to have seen England win a World Cup.

I was born almost exactly six months after Bobby Moore lifted the Jules Rimet trophy at Wembley Stadium.

I don’t remember Mexico 1970, then we didn’t qualify for 12 years and then at age 15 we got knocked our far too early in Spain, faced the Hand of God at The Azteca, then the incredible run to the Semi Final, Gazza and the penalty loss at the hands of the Germans at Italia 90 and then the original ‘Football’s Coming Home’ tournament and another German penalty heartbreak at Euro 96.

The reason I remember these so well, is the incredible momentum that England got through the tournaments that began slowly. Very few remember the drab 1-1 with Ireland in Italy and the one-all draw with the Swiss that began Euro 96.

Instead, the memories come flooding back to when there was a change, a touch paper was lit and suddenly the country started believing in the team.

In 1990 it was Belgium, in 1996 it was Holland and I think we’ve just seen that moment in Mexico.

The weather, the altitude, Mexico’s record and the crowd all were against England but that Great Bulldog spirit that we all talk about but rarely see was on full display.

Mexico was the moment that I think has made every country think that maybe we’re not the serial underachievers anymore.

The team showed skill and fight at The Azteca and has now given us a confidence that we can do something at this World Cup.

It’s very easy to get over excited considering we were all tired and over emotional in the early hours of Monday morning but mark my words after putting a 40-year-old hoodoo to bed and 60 years of hurt, something is happening and as long as the momentum keeps building there is no reason why England can’t go on and win this World Cup.

PS. I don’t want to tempt fate so typing this is taking twice as long as my fingers are crossed.