AS ENGLAND fans across the country celebrated reaching the final of Euro 2024, those in the seaside town of Weston super Mare could take heart that their town had played a part in the incredible victory.

As the drama unfolded in the 90th minute of the tie against the Netherlands at the BVB Stadion in Dortmund, Germany, part of match-winning goalscorer Ollie Watkins’ rags-to-riches story was written in the Somerset tourist destination.

For Watkins, now a Premier League star for Aston Villa, enjoyed a loan spell with Weston FC during the 2014-15 season.

He played 24 games for The Seagulls, scoring 10 goals.

But the 28-year-old said his time at the Woodspring Stadium felt a long way from the glitz and glamour of international football.

“I never thought I’d play for England,” he said, when asked about his rise that would lead to a place in football folklore.

“They boys would tell me, when I was at Weston, some of the boys, if I had a good game or would score, they’d say, “you’re a good player, you’ll go the Championship or something like that”.”

But it went much further than that.

Hailing from Newton Abbot in Devon, Watkins came through the youth system at Exeter City FC, from where he was loaned to Weston.

Playing 68 games for Exeter, he was named EFL Young Player of the Year in 2017, which prompted a big-money move – for a reported £1.8 million – to Brentford.

He had reached the Championship – as predicted by his Weston teammates.

And he continued to thrive, becoming the league’s joint top scorer in the 2019-20 season.

In September 2020, the Premier League beckoned for Watkins, with a £28m move to Aston Villa.

A total of 59 goals in 146 appearances for The Villa has seen him become a regular in England squads – culminating in that breathtaking moment in front of almost 61,000 fans that took the Three Lions to the verge of greatness – and Weston has played its part.