Former England goalie Ron Springett dies aged 80

LONDON: The England goalkeeper who waited more than 40 years for his World Cup winners' medal has died aged 80, following a short illness.

Ron Springett, England's first choice keeper at the 1962 World Cup, was a member of the 1966 World Cup winning squad but was kept out of the team by Gordon Banks.

It took 43 years for Springett's role to be acknowledged with silverware, as a policy change by FIFA saw the goalkeeper and his fellow non-playing squad members from the 1966 final presented with winners' medals in a Downing Street ceremony in 2009.

Springett, who made 33 appearances for England between 1959 and 1966, began his career at Queen's Park Rangers in 1953.

He signed for Sheffield Wednesday in 1958 and when he moved back to QPR in 1967, his brother Peter, also a goalkeeper, moved in the opposite direction as part of the deal.