From cheers to tears as England's World Cup dream falters

Fans packed into pubs and clubs around the West Midlands and Staffordshire, crowding around big screens to watch England fall to a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Uruguay.

Euphoric scenes at Wayne Rooney's equalising goal were replaced with despair as Luis Suarez put Uruguay back in front.

A hushed silence fell over Bar Sport in Cannock as the Liverpool forward hit the back of the net, cancelling out the cheers which had rung out 10 minutes earlier when England scored.

Fans at Bar Sport were joined by European Cup winner and former Manchester United goalkeeper Alex Stepney.

He was the star guest for the evening and shared his views on the game and England's prospects.

The 71-year-old said the team did not play as well as they had during Saturday's clash against Italy but said fans must stay positive.

"There is a lot of pressure on the players and there was when I played but you can't think about that, you have to get on with it," he said.

"Despite Uruguay scoring first we got back into the game but defensively we were poor.

"A lot of people have been talking about Rooney this week and questioning whether he should be playing but to be fair to him he did score, although it still wasn't quite good enough."

Around 100 fans headed to the High Green venue to watch the game.

And much of the talk afterwards centred on the performance of Wayne Rooney and Roy Hodgson's team selection.

Electrician Anthony Millward, aged 44, of Rugeley, said: "I was on the edge of my seat during the game, it was nail-biting.

"Unfortunately I think Roy Hodgson will be sacked but given time he could do a lot better so I don't think that would be the best decision to make.

"Despite what people have said I think Rooney played well and he should be given credit where credit is due."

Scott Faulkner, aged 38, from Wednesfield, said: "It's really sad that we conceded that last goal.

"The difference on the night was Suarez and he went all out to make sure Uruguay won.

"The young players deserve a lot of credit but perhaps questions lie with the manager."

Meanwhile, at The Cleveland Arms, in Willenhall Road, Wolverhampton, more than 375 fans turned up to watch the game on 10 big screens set up inside and outside the building.

Tension was etched on the faces of fans even before the big game kicked off at 8pm.

And as the second half got under way, the screams and shouts of the first 45 minutes were replaced with a tense silence.

As the minutes ticked by the only reaction from the fans came following the collision between England's Raheem Sterling and Alvaro Pereira.

That was until Glen Johnson put the ball through to Wayne Rooney who fired home a 75th minute equaliser.

Jordan Wilkinson, 23 from Wednesfield was amongst those celebrating.

He said: "It was a cracking goal its just what England needs. Hopefully this is enough for us to go on and win the match."

But it wasn't to be and as the final whistle blew, disappointed punters headed home with the pub emptying quickly.

Personal trainer Michael Dalton, aged 26, from Willenhall, was one of those who stayed behind.

"The England performance was just not good enough," he said.

"We should have expected it to be honest, we are always end up over-expecting when it comes to results."

His friend and 25-year-old England fan Keiron Plaza from Wednesbury said that there were some positives from the match but it wasn't enough.

"I'm completely gutted to be honest. I had hoped that this was our year," he said.

"My man of the match has to go to Suarez, he played a fantastic game."

England's fate now lies in the hands of Italy, who need to beat Costa Rica tonight to give England a flicker of hope of making it out of the group stages.

But some fans were still clinging to this glimmer of hope.

Heating Engineer 31-year-old Stuart Loydon, of Bilston, said:"We are not out yet, but three goals against Costa Rica is a big difference to make up.

"My man of the match for England has got to be Rooney, It just shows put him in the right position up front where he belongs and he will deliver, but I still expected more from him."

Kevin Whitehouse, aged 54, from Wednesfield, said he had found the defeat hard to take.

"We've been here before in the past," he said.

"I'm really disappointed and even more disappointed about the team selection.

"Everyone was going on about how the team was so youthful, but we didn't see much of that youth on the pitch. For once I was really excited about the team choice in the run up to the tournament, but we haven't seen some of the people I hoped would be playing."