By Jacob Panons, BBC News, Crawley
Getty ImagesEngland are in their second major final under the guidance of Crawley’s Gareth Southgate.
If the Three Lions beat Spain on Sunday it will see Southgate lift the country’s first men’s European Championship trophy.
We headed to the West Sussex town to speak to residents about the former Crawley schoolboy – and they could not be more proud.
Resident Lynn Bailey said: “What every town needs really is somebody to look up to, just to see what you can do, what is possible.”
Jacob Panons/BBCMs Bailey added: “It should make youngsters think ‘well I could do that’.”
Peter Bennett was the boys’ team manager at Crawley Athletic Club when Southgate was a young runner and the county’s triple jump champion for his age.
He said: “Gareth was a good sprinter over 100m and 200m and scored good points for the club, but it was his assurance that singled him out even at the age of 12.
“No one was better prepared or organized, and the hotter the competition, the better he performed.”
Southgate’s father Clive also became a coach at the club.
‘Everybody liked Gareth’
Mr Bennett, who hoped the manager would be made a Sir if England won, said the Southgate family were “wonderful”.
“I think he’s the same guy that he was at 12 to be honest.
“He was just somebody who everybody knew and liked and that has done very, very well.”
Mr Bennett said Southgate “always had the character” to succeed.
“He was such a likeable guy, everybody liked Gareth.”
Jacob Panons/BBCIn his early years, the England manager went to Pound Hill Junior School.
Current headteacher Anthony White said: “One of our school’s core values is resilience, which Gareth Southgate showed following his penalty miss in 1996.
“At every match we see all our school values of achievement, creativity, fairness, [and] independence, alongside resilience, demonstrated not only by Gareth Southgate, but by his players working as a team.
“Everyone is inspired to emulate his successes in their learning, their physical activity, and the way they build positive relationships.”
Charlotte Terry said her son was “thrilled” as he was due to go to Hazelwick School, the same as Southgate, when he was older.
Ms Terry, who said her stepdad went to Hazelwick with the manager, added that she heard Southgate was “a bit of a geek” at school.
‘Special place’
The England manager was on the school’s rugby team and excelled academically.
He got a number of GCSEs and could have completed his A-Levels too, according to former deputy head Gordon Parry.
He said Southgate was one of those students able to combine an effective academic life with being “a very promising sportsman”.
Crawley Observer editor Mark Dunford says Southgate should “definitely” get the freedom of the town if England win on Sunday.
“I think whenever it comes to the tournaments the town becomes a special place to be,” he said.
Jacob Panons/BBCLocal resident Marc Richings said: “When we win, because we are going to win, I think it’s really going to ignite Crawley and there will be all sorts of parades and stuff going on.”
Local barber Matthew Rhymes said Southgate had brought a sense of “togetherness” to the town.
“It’s something we’ve needed as well because it’s picked everyone up because everyone is in a bit of a spot at the minute financially…this has given us the excuse to escape away from that and actually pull together.”
Philip Jackson said it “couldn’t be better” to have a local person leading the nation into the final.
Resident John Messenger added that Sunday would be a “proud day” for the town.
“If they win it he might have to go round on an open top bus on his own round here.”
