THOUSANDS of football fans across Devon were left with broken hearts as England suffered their worst World Cup defeat in the contest's history.

Fans crammed around TV sets in pubs and bars but were left crying into their beer as the side made a 4-1 exit in the second round against Germany.

Matthew Upson's goal in the 37th minute had fans leaping with joy as it made the tie 2-1.

And when Frank Lampard struck what was thought to have been the equaliser in the 38th, only to have it disallowed, the glee turned to disappointment which lasted until the final whistle.

At the Ship and Pelican in Fore Street, Exeter, Caroline Pritchard, 21, from Heavitree, who works as a bank cashier, said: "I was gutted. How could this happen? The 'equaliser' was well over the line."

Several drinkers were sporting "lucky" red shirts and hats. Among those was pensioner Tom Beckett, who vividly remembers England's World Cup victory in 1966. He said: "Our road to glory has been a long one and it will come again.

"Everyone here in the pub has been behind England. I've been drinking here since 1953 and I've not experienced an atmosphere like this. I thought this World Cup would have been our time."

Michelle Beckett, 24, said she was "biting her nails" as she prayed for an equaliser that never came. Her friend, Jamie Wengradt, a 25-year-old designer, said: "I banked on a 2-1 win for England. That disallowed goal was disgraceful." Gary Smalldon, 48, said he was "on the edge of his seat" until Germany scored their third, while Danny Butler, 47, said "a defeat for England proved inevitable".

Landlady Kelly Pope said: "Everyone had been behind an England victory. The entire pub was supporting the team. We're so disappointed and brokenhearted."

At the Centre Spot, Grecians fans packed round the huge screen.

Andrew Crewdson, 31, said: "We all had high hopes and I would have to say the loss is devastating".

Fellow fan Darren Brooks, 38, and Richard Kitson, 48, said they were "downhearted" and the latter added: "If England had won, I would have picked up more than £600 at the bookies."

Bookmakers in Exeter reported they were heading for a record day for bets — not on the horses, but on an England win — and that thousands would have been lost.

At the Ship and Pelican, Sandra Pearson, 43, proved unpopular when she admitted she had staked a bet that Germany would win, while David Green, 23, the manager at the Exeter branch of Coral in Fore Street, said he had been offering "once- in-a-lifetime" odds on an England win.

He said: "Everyone had been in a wonderful mood and the vast majority backed England. Speaking as a fan, it's a terrible result."

For those unlucky enough to be working during the match, many still found a way to catch the game.

Lee Blackburn, watch commander at Exeter's Danes Castle fire station, said: "We have squeezed all our routines and have worked our socks off so we could sit down and watch the match — obviously we were ready to be called out on a shout at a moment's notice."

A spokesman at the RD&E said: "For staff working in an acute city hospital, it was business as usual with their focus on patient care.

"Patients could view the football on television in day rooms or in their beds with headsets so that others were not disturbed and could rest. Visiting was quieter while the match was on."

Several city cab drivers tried to find a way to catch the action as business slowed to a crawl during the match. One said: "There's not a lot of point in hanging around during the match — might as well see if you can watch the football. Even when the German goals went in, everyone was still glued to their screens.

"I'd have to say business picked up as soon as the final whistle went. Everyone wanted to get home pretty quickly rather than drown their sorrows."

Supermarkets like Tesco gave staff the option of swapping shifts to watch the match while filling stations reported a sharp drop in business during the match — as there has been every time England played.

Sales assistant Philip Cholerton at the Telegraph Hill outlet, said: "It was very quiet while the match was on — that's been the case since the World Cup got under way."