EFFORTS to get tickets for the England v Italy Euro 2020 final for a lifesaving football fan from the Black Country were today hotting up after Gary Lineker joined in the Twitter drive to help.

People across the country have been tweeting praise for 24-year-old Sam Astley from Sedgley who passed up tickets for last night's semi finals, which saw England beat Denmark to make it into the final, to instead donate stem cells and bone marrow to help save a life.

Sam, a buyer for Yamazaki Mazak manufacturing technology firm in Worcester, has been hailed a real life hero for selflessly turning down the chance to see the historic match and enjoy a night at The Dorchester too after his girlfriend Beth, a critical care nurse, won tickets for the game in a competition through Pretty Little Thing on Instagram.

Beth, aged 25, from Cradley Heath, also had to pass up the tickets as she has been self-isolating...so the kind-hearted couple gifted them to relatives.

Twitter and Facebook have been awash with good sentiments for the couple, with many joining in a social media drive to try to source tickets for the football final on Sunday, which will see England take on Italy.

This morning, football pundit and former England star Gary Lineker tweeted the FA and the England team to see if they could help.

"Amazing," he said. "Can you help @FA @England?"

People have also been asking England footballer Jude Bellingham, who hails from Stourbridge, if he could help to source a pair of tickets for selfless Sam, who was called up to donate stem cells and bone marrow after signing the Anthony Nolan register, and Beth, who has worked throughout the Covid pandemic at Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

Stourbridge News: Sam Astley and girlfriend BethSam Astley and girlfriend Beth

Beth, who has worked in the hospital's intensive care ward for about four years, said: "I'm literally just completely overwhelmed. I can't believe how this is blowing up everywhere. It's crazy.

"We hadn't asked for free tickets - we just wanted to have the opportunity to buy some - as they're like gold dust - but it's gone mad. My phone hasn't stopped ringing but we're so happy we can raise this awareness for the charity and hopefully we can get some more people signed up to the register."

Family friend Simon Wilkes, from Withymoor, Brierley Hill, whose charity event in memory of his son Olly led to Sam joining the register, said he has been "totally overwhelmed" by the outpouring of good will for Sam and Beth and the publicity their story has raised for blood cancer charity Anthony Nolan.

He said: "I just hope we can get them tickets or something."

Mr Wilkes, who suffers from a blood disorder, has been organising events for the charity for the last few years to help encourage more young people to sign up to the register to help save lives - and Sam is the second person locally to have been declared a match.

Matt Beveridge also donated stem cells in 2018 to help a young Spanish woman.

The charity is particularly looking to encourage more men aged 16 to 30 to join the Anthony Nolan register as they are the most likely to be chosen to donate.