I THINK it’s fair to call my mother a lucky woman – and not just because she had me.

While growing up in London, she survived The Blitz, spent decades doing a job she loved as a postwoman, raised three boys, has five adoring grandchildren plus a great-granddaughter, has always enjoyed good health, and is still going strong at nearly 93.

All of which brings me to her love of football, and her potential for bringing the England team the luck they need to win a first major trophy since the World Cup win in 1966.

She’s a superstitious woman, not least when she’s watching football. She firmly believes that if Arsenal (her favourite club team), or the England national team, is winning, she has to keep as still as a statue.

“If I move, the opposition always scores,” she says.

On the other hand, if Arsenal or England are losing, she has to switch off the telly for five minutes, and make a cup of tea.

“When I switch back on, we’ve usually scored a goal,” she insists.

Anyway, when she came over to our house for Sunday lunch at the weekend, she was telling us how she’d watched England play Switzerland in the quarter-finals of the Euros.

When Switzerland took the lead in the second half, she switched off the telly and made a cup of tea. When she switched it back on, Bukayo Saka had scored his spectacular equaliser for England.

When it went to penalties, she became quite nervous, so she started nibbling on a packet of mini-biscuits that were on the coffee table next to where she was sitting.

Every time England took a penalty, she had another biscuit. She’d scoffed five by the time England won – and she finally realised she’d been tucking into a packet of dog treats I’d left behind when I paid a recent visit with our little terrier, Ruby, pictured below.

(Image: Peter Barron)

“I didn’t think they tasted very nice – but I think it must have brought us luck because we won, didn’t we?” she said.

Well, you may not be surprised to hear that my dear old mother now has a set of strict instructions for Wednesday night’s semi-final against Netherlands. If the Dutch score, she has to switch the telly off and put the kettle on. If England score, she must NOT move a muscle – even if she wants to sneeze, scratch an itch, or go for a wee.

And, if it goes to penalties, she has to start munching on the brand new packet of dog treats I’ve given her especially for the occasion.

“But they’re quite dry,” she protested. “What if they keep scoring and no-one misses?”

“I don’t care – wash ‘em down with a glass of water,” I told her.

It could finally be the answer to helping England Winalot.