ITV'S MAGIC MOMENTS

SAM TODD LOOKS AT ITV'S TO YEARS OF FOOTBALL COVERAGE THROUGH THE PRISM OF SEVEN MATCHES THAT WERE SHOWN ON THE NETWORK IN ONE FORM OR ANOTHER, BE IT LIVE, HIGHLIGHTS, EXCLUSIVE OR SHARED WITH THE BBC

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THE timing couldn't have been better for ITV as they screened England's dominant 5-0 win in Latvia to seal World Cup qualification in mid-October.

Two days before that fixture was the 70th anniversary of the commercial broadcaster's first live football broadcast, a milestone that launched one of the UK's most enduring sporting partnerships. Here are some of the key moments:

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 1-2 VASAS BUDAPEST (OCTOBER 12, 1955)

It all began under the White Hart Lane floodlights as ITV covered the second half of Tottenham Hotspur's friendly against Hungarian side Vasas Budapest, who emerged victorious despite Spurs fielding three players - Danny Blanchflower, Peter Baker and Tony Marchi - who went on to be double winners for them in 1961.

The fledgling network, which had launched on September 22, backed it up with the last 45 minutes of the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup tie between London and Frankfurt on October 26 - Wembley's floodlit debut - and began showing the FA Cup in 1956 as well as live European Cup action, such as the second half of Manchester United's semifinal second leg against Real Madrid in 1957, before making their World Cup bow in 1958.

By 1962, regular regional highlights emerged via Tyne Tees and Anglia, but an earlier £150,000 deal for 26 Football League matches collapsed after the sparsely-attended Blackpool-Bolton Wanderers opener on September 10, 1960, refusals by Arsenal and Tottenham to allow filming, and demands for higher player payments.

ENGLAND 1-0 CZECHOSLOVAKIA (JUNE 11, 1970)