While World Cup fever continues to grip the nation, one Leicester sportsman knows exactly what it feels like to capture the ultimate prize.

Ray Wilson was one of the stars of Great Britain and England's speedway World Cup-winning teams of the early 1970s. Now 63, the Leicester Lions legend looks back with fond memories.

"It was a fantastic period for me," he said. "You can't explain the experience, the enjoyment and thrill you get."

Wilson was part of the Great Britain line-up that triumphed from 1971 to 1973 and was a reserve rider in England's 1974 success.

The first, in Poland, was truly remarkable.

"That was a great year for me," said Wilson. "I was England's No.1 and had finished fourth in the individual world final.

"Then in Poland, I became the first Englishman to go through the card and record a maximum 12 points. And the first on foreign soil.

"With the likes of Ivan Mauger and Barry Briggs also in the team, it was absolutely brilliant and a very proud moment for me.

"Afterwards, I became known as 'World Cup Willie'.

"Somebody shouted 'Come on World Cup Willie' down the back straight at Blackbird Road and it just stuck."

The team retained their title 12 months later in Germany before defending it successfully at Wembley in 1973.

Wilson captained a side that featured Peter Collins, Terry Batts and Malcolm Simmons, and became only the second Englishman – after Bobby Moore in 1966 – to lift a World Cup at Wembley.

"You don't realise what you have achieved at the time," said Wilson.

"But I look back and think that, when people put you alongside somebody like Bobby Moore, you must have done something special.

"It was the first all-English line-up that I thought was capable of beating the best in the world, which is what we did.

"To be captain and riding in front of 70,000 fanatical supporters was pretty awesome."

Wilson has been glued to his television set at his Bagworth home over the past week, enjoying the action from South Africa.

"If you are a sportsman you enjoy most sports, and that is what I'm doing at the moment," he said.

"I was pretty good at football as a youngster and captained my school team in Beaumont Leys. My PE teacher was former Leicester City player Ron Jackson, the father of Leicester Tigers' director Roy Jackson, and he was fantastic. I got trials with Leicester schoolboys.

"During my speedway days, I had the privilege of going down to Filbert Street to train with Peter Shilton, Mark Wallington and the City players of that era.

"You appreciated the amount of effort they put in. I used to come out of their sessions absolutely knackered but it gave me something to aim for.

"I felt I was as fit as I could be to race speedway. It is only in recent years that speedway, like other sports, has become more switched on.

"The Grand Prix riders of today, like Crump and Pedersen, are fanatics and take fitness to a higher level than I could have imagined."

Wilson has played his part in the campaign to bring back speedway in Leicester and is delighted it will finally happen.

"It is absolutely brilliant that the Lions will be in action next year," he said. "I had nine amazing years with them and it's in my blood. I want to be there for every meeting."