ENGLAND won the World Cup; Muhammad Ali refused to join the US Army, you could buy a house for less than £4,000... and Barrow AFC won promotion to Division Three.

The average UK annual salary was £1,333 and a season ticket to Holker Street would set you back £7 for the best seat in the house. Those were the days, 50 years ago.

Today, Barrow – now the Bluebirds – are in the Vanarama National League and a season ticket in the stand is priced at £340 for an adult or £240 for somebody who was only 15 in 1966 (when they would have paid £3).

But some things never really change. The 2016 season kicks off with a home game against Aldershot and the two sides were doing battle back in 1966. Barrow won 1-0 on their trip south, but were held to a 1-1 draw at Holker Street.

The 1966/67 fixture list was filled with names of teams who will be on the list of opponents 50 years on – Southport, Yotk City, Wrexham, Chester and Tranmere are among those who have followed a similar path into the world of non-League football.

Barrow went on to win promotion into the third division – a section they led for a brief spell the following season, eventually finishing eighth – but it was the FA Cup that again provided the highlight of a successful season.

After beating Rochdale and Tranmere in the opening rounds, Barrow were drawn at home to First Division Southampton, who included England winger Terry Paine, who went on to make a record 800-plus appearances for the south coast side as well as winning 19 international caps.

A crowd of 15,002 crammed into Holker Street for the third round tie and they certainly got their money’s worth.

A match day ticket in the stand was all of Seven shillings (35p) The match receipts were a record £2,986. Goals from Jimmy Mulholland and Billy McAdams earned Barrow a 2-2 draw

But their Cup exploits ended when they went to the Dell four days later and in front of a 25,000-plus crowd they went down 3-0. Out of the FA Cup, they still had one trophy to aim for having reached the semi-final of the Lancashire Cup where they beat Blackburn Rovers 1-0.

Through to the final of the County Cup for the second season running, they failed at the last hurdle, going down 2-0 to Oldham Athletic.

But the main target – promotion – had been achieved. And all for the price of a couple of pints of lager at 2016 prices!