A slurry truck driver from Wigan has come up smelling of roses after winning more than £10,000 after predicting the results of 11 football matches in England and Scotland, thanks to a late winner from Wycombe Wanderers.

Anthony Croston, 58, thought he was on a loser and was ready to screw up his betting slip until ten-man Wycombe, who had missed a penalty, scored twice in additional time to beat Carlisle and keep his bet alive.

Grandad Anthony will use his winnings to pay for a family holiday to Cyprus and has treated his long-suffering wife Louise to a new dress for when they go to the races and championship boxing.

The father of five, who drives a wagon transporting sewage converted for use on farms, who beat the odds of 2,120/1 joked: “You could say where there’s muck there’s brass.”

Anthony - a fan of both Wigan football and Betfred Super League club Wigan Warriors – has regularly  filled in his “bonus” accumulator coupon at his local Betfred shop.

But on Saturday his predictions came true after all his teams won – but not without the high drama at Wycombe who eventually beat Carlisle 4-3 with two injury time goals.

He had Manchester United to beat Huddersfield at odds of 1/6 and, also in the Premier League, Bournemouth to beat Stoke at evens. In the Championship, he predicted that Millwall would beat Reading (2/1), he thought Preston would triumph at home against Hull (6/5) and that Fulham would beat Nottingham Forest (4/5).  He also correctly predicted Notts County would beat Crewe at 4/5, Scunthorpe to emerge victorious over Fleetwood (7/4) and Yeovil to overcome Cambridge United also at odds of 7/4. In Scotland, Anthony got it right that Aberdeen would beat Hamilton (8/15) and Hearts would win at home against St Johnstone at 5/6.

But as he ticked off his once in a lifetime list while watching TV at home at Egerton Street, Abram, Wigan, Anthony was sweating over just what was going on at the Adams Park stadium in League Two match between Wycombe Wanderers and Carlisle where he had the home side at  evens to win. It wasn’t looking good with Wycombe down to ten men after Luke O’Nein was sent off but although being 250/1 in play to win they equalised through Paris Cowan-Hall three minutes into additional time.

Anthony thought it was all over because he needed a Wycombe win for his bet to stand them and was ready for screwing up his betting slip, but amazingly up popped Wycombe’s Marcus Bean to volley the winner in the 96th minute!

“I just couldn’t believe it,” said Anthony. “After all these years of doing this bet I knew I’d win it one day.”

He immediately rang wife Louise, who works as a beauty consultant at Debenhams in Wigan and she couldn’t believe it either, having had so many “hard luck” calls from her sports-mad hubby.

Louise, 47, said: “Like him, I’m absolutely thrilled. He’s always ringing me up to say he’s nearly won. I got him to the Trafford Centre to get me a new dress for the races at Wolverhampton and we’re going to the Chris Eubank fight against George Groves at  the Manchester Arena.

She said: “He rings me nearly every week to say how he’s got on, but it was a bit different this time.”

Betfred boss Fred Done said: “Well done Anthony on savouring the sweet smell of success. Enjoy your holiday, the racing and boxing. I’m chuffed to bits you’re having a good time on me.”