With football's European Championships just around the corner, Kent is joining the rest of England in hoping for the best... and perhaps bracing itself for more of the same.

While we look at photos of people in Kent celebrating and commiserating as they watch the Three Lions on the international stage, reporter Alex Jee reminds us of the last 20 years of pain at the Euros...

Football's coming home. It's on it's way, I'm convinced, it's just taken a detour for the last 55-odd years.

What that does mean, however, is that for that last half a century or so, football fans across Kent (and indeed the country) have been forced to endure agony after agony watching the Three Lions play.

And now we're set to do it all over again, with Gareth Southgate - and his waistcoats - hoping to bring the Euro trophy home.

So before we all head to the pubs, big screens and living rooms for this next rollercoaster ride, let's have a look back at some pictures of the joy and agony across the county over the last 20 years.

Ah, 2002. What a campaign that was, with people heading to the pub for breakfast and to follow England's fortunes.

I don't remember it all that well, to be honest (I was only five) but Sven-Göran Eriksson's first tournament in charge saw the Three Lions charge to the quarter finals, including a victory over Argentina.

It was then, however, that fans across the county had to watch as a Ronaldinho free-kick forced the team to bow out, losing 2-1 to eventual champions Brazil.

The team only lost a total of five international games under Eriksson, but it was not enough to prevent the team losing out at the quarter final stage in the next two tournaments.

The infamous penalty luck struck again at Euro 2004, where Darius Vassell saw his penalty saved by Portuguese goalkeeper Ricardo, who then trotted up and slammed the ball home himself to send England home.

The two teams faced off again at the 2006 World Cup in Germany, with Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney proving pivotal, in the worst way for English fans.

In a now infamous match, Ronaldo sent watching fans into uproar after he was caught sending a cheeky wink towards his Manchester United team-mate Rooney after getting him sent off.

The Portuguese winger then scored the winning penalty after England managed to put just one out of four attempts in the back of the net.

The less said about Euro 2008 the better, frankly; mostly because England didn't even qualify for the tournament, a disappointment that saw Steve McLaren sacked after just 18 games in charge.

Fans were back in the pubs to watch the Three Lions in the following tournament, however, as possibly one of the most controversial moments in international football history unfolded at the 2010 World Cup.

There were raucous celebrations across the country when Frank Lampard's rocket clearly crossed the line (by about a yard) to make it 2-2 against Germany in the round of 16.

However, joy quickly turned to horror as the infamous 'ghost goal' didn't register, leaving the Germans to go on and win 4-1 in a match that has lived long in the memory of many an Englishman.

At the risk of repeating the same line over and over again, it was the penalty curse once again that put paid to English fans' hopes at Euro 2012.

In their first tournament under Roy Hodgson, the Three Lions took the game to the dreaded spot following a 0-0 draw, with the two Ashley's – Young and Cole – missing the decisive kicks.

It got a lot worse two years later, however, when the team failed to even get out of the group stages at the 2014 World Cup.

This was the first time the team had suffered such an embarrassment at a World Cup since 1958, and the first time at a major tournament since Euro 2000.

One local highlight in an otherwise diabolical tournament was the first proper appearance of former Maidstone United man Chris Smalling in the famous white shirt.

The leggy defender, who also had a stint at Manchester United and Fulham, had previously represented Kent at a county level aged just 17.

With the team already eliminated, he was given a debut start against Costa Rica and managed to see them through with a clean sheet in a goalless draw.

He then made regular appearances in the build-up to and during Euro 2016, scoring his first and only international goal in the last warm-up game against Portugal at Wembley.

However, fans across Kent - including a raucous and packed Wetherspoons in Tunbridge Wells if my memory serves - watched in shock and horror as the team played out a dismal loss to underdogs Iceland in the round of 16.

In the wake of that tournament, 2016 ushered in the age of Southgate, which brought about perhaps the best few weeks in recent English history, if we're being honest.

Shouts of "it's coming home" could be heard across Kent as England finally overcame their penalty struggles and Germany got knocked out by South Korea.

When the team faced up against Croatia in the semi-final, it was shown in pubs, bars, parks, harbours and countless other locations across the county.

The cheer when Kieran Trippier's free-kick found the top corner in the fifth minute will have, I'm sure, been felt across the world.

Of course, it was heartbreak in the end after an extra-time Mario Mandžukić winner sent the opposition into the final.

But for a few brief glorious weeks, the country was truly united. Hopefully, the team will give us something to shout for again in the coming weeks. We can but hope.

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