THE flags hung limp and sorry today.

England's agonising defeat by Portugal in a Lisbon penalty shoot-out was met with howls of despair in pubs and homes across Huddersfield.

But police reported no problems in Huddersfield as the pubs emptied.

Many fans had made special efforts to show their patriotic fervour - even if they have been hard at work or poorly!

Nursing staff in the Royal Infirmary pulled out all the stops to ensure patients got the chance to support our boy.

Matron Pat Maxfield said: "The HRI is probably not the ideal surroundings for the big match.

"But staff on the wards did everything they could to make the match as enjoyable as possible, ensuring that everybody who wanted to watch it could."

Staff at Sainsburys Shore Head superstore were clad in full England kit yesterday as they worked on well into the evening, as the game was played.

But staff - and customers - could catch the drama. A spokeswoman said: "We had the TV on in the customer restaurant and the TVs on in the homeware section, so people at work saw or heard something of the match."

In Peters' department store, staff and customers had St George's flags painted on their faces - all for donations to HRI's special care baby unit.