IT is one of the most unforgettable sporting images.

Gazza, the darling bad boy of English soccer, had just been booked in the World Cup semi-final against West Germany at Italia 90.

And as he realised his World Cup dream was over, as he would miss the final if England qualified, he burst into tears.

Sadly, the team lost out to Germany in a penalty shoot-out.

But it was a tournament that signalled a rebirth of English football – and one that has been captured by a Huddersfield man.

Pete Davies was in Italy to write a book about the tournament and every aspect of it.

Now, 20 years on, his book All Played Out – hailed by some critics as “the best book ever about football” – has been made into a film.

And when One Night in Turin premieres tonight in cinemas across the UK, Davies will feel enormous pride.

Davies works in Huddersfield as a team leader at the fresh produce section at Sainsbury’s store in Market Street.

But away from the fruit and vegetables, he is an accomplished writer with 11 books behind him, including All Played Out.

Davies, 51, was a writer first and a football fan second when he began work on the book in 1989.

It became a labour of love as he followed the much-maligned Bobby Robson, inset, and his players through the tournament and into the epic semi-final.

Now top director James Erskine has taken Davies’ words and created One Night in Turin.

Gary Oldman narrates a film constructed from unseen archive footage and specially shot imagery by Sundance award-winning cinematographer Lol Crawley.

It tells the tale of a football team and a nation’s journey from despair to hope, from the disasters of Heysel and Hillsborough to the nail-biting penalty shoot-out in Turin.

Davies said: “I had done a couple of novels by the time 1990 came around but I was intrigued by the football and by the England team.

“It had a bad Press at the time, with Heysel and Hillsborough and the Bradford City fire and the country itself was in turmoil, with a recession and the poll-tax riots.

“Italia 90 was to change all that. I wanted to write a book about everything connected to the World Cup, from a state where people despised English football because of the bad behaviour, to a situation where the players created a feelgood factor.

“In the year running up to Italia 90 I got to know Bobby Robson well and became trusted by him, his team and the players.

“There was an horrendous gulf of mistrust between Robson and the players and the media at that time, but they gave me brilliant access.

“To talk to a player now, you go through a phalanx of PAs, advisors, consultants and even make-up artists. Back then in Italy, I could wander into the bar and the hotel and chat with any of the players.

“The first game of the tournament saw England meet the Republic of Ireland and it was dreadful, a 0-0 draw. But even then I thought we could do it.

“I genuinely believed we could get through to the final and to beat Argentina. The story that I hope I played out in the book is more important than winning or losing a game of football; it is important that people got a good new feeling about English football.

“I was a fan and a writer, but the voice of the fan was never heard. They were treated as gangs of morons.

“I looked at everything – the Press, the players, the World Cup organisation, the relationship with the Italian Police and followed 12 games in 27 days. It was everything I wanted it to be”.

It was last year that Erskine approached Davies about the film project.

Davies said: “I think it is fantastic. What a time to bring about a film about football, about the World Cup, just a month before South Africa.

“I am so pleased with the film. I wanted to write a book about the journey of a hero, Bobby Robson, who was under assault from every corner.

“He was a courteous, decent, honest, good man and I hope that comes across. He found a champion in Gazza.

“Italia 90 turned round the expectations of football and I hope people see that when they see the film.

“It is narrated by Gary Oldman and has brilliant music from the period, from the likes of Stone Roses, Happy Mondays and Joy Division. What more can you ask”.

The film is screened tonight, 8.30pm at Odeon, Huddersfield, and Showcase, Leeds.