Pilgrims progress
We always knew John Bunyan
Had something
Pilgrims progress
Astonishingly in the FA Cup
And to think
Sir Francis Drake
Only popped over for
A game of bowls
Plymouth Argyle
In the fifth round of the FA Cup
The Cup’s romantic rendezvous
Arrives at Home Park
Today mighty Liverpool bowled over
It must have seemed a brief infatuation
Before the third round
But the struggling labourers
In the Championship
Hit the jackpot
And David topples Goliath
Plymouth beat Liverpool
It almost sounds an
Ungrammatical sentence
Surely Hans Christian Andersen
Deliberately inventing fairy tales
Giants have fallen in the Cup
But this one has surely been
Made up, complete fantasy
Liverpool controlling the pace
At the top of the Premier League
But Plymouth simply Hoe Hoe?
Nobody ever took them seriously
Never in contention for anything
Always down
In the land of nowhere
Ryan Hardie tucks away the penalty
That sends the Pilgrims heading
Towards the sacred shrine of the fifth round
Of the FA Cup,
Now that Chelsea, Spurs, Arsenal have all
Taken their exit out of the Cup’s
Hallowed back doors
City and United are through
But beware of sweet Cherries
And buoyant Bournemouth
The icing on the cake perhaps
Unlikely but possible
Villa, gleaming in the wintry mists
Roof, tiles and windows
Awaiting yet more
Dignified guests
In the overflowing Cup
This could be their year
Spurs losing theirs
Blown out of both Cups
Within days
Aston Villa victorious
At Wembley for the first time
Since 1957?
You never know
But today the Pilgrims
Certainly made progress
The FA Cup keeps waving
That magic wand
We knew it would
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Crispin’s Corner
In Memoriam
Kick It Out & Christmas Truce
Latest Comments
11th January 2025 at 8:13 am
TO ADD THIS TO THIS POEM’S COMMENT:WELCOME BACK DAVID MOYES!!!
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27th November 2024 at 5:55 am
‘You’re Supposed To Be At Home’ is an excellent and moving poem Denys.
You start off thinking it’s just about another oft-sung chant, one we personally heard a lot last season throughout our second relegation in a row here at Forest Green(FGR) ! I always love poems where you think they are saying one thing and then they suddenly pull you deeper to somewhere or something else else.
I’m currently helping in a local school for FGR in a voluntary capacity using football to help young students with reading. At an upcoming session we will tackle racism, just like we did in workshops at football schools and grounds when we first started this site 24 years ago. I’m gonna try and weave your poem into a session.
We’ve added it to the Anti- Racism/Kick It Out section under Crispin’s Corner.
Best C
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26th November 2024 at 1:59 pm
Great poem and great to see you back Wyn.
Don’t leave it so long next time my friend!
More please.
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13th September 2024 at 6:14 pm
Welcome to Football Poets Beth
Great evocative poem Beth….
More please !
Haiku always welcome.
Hope we (FGR) get to play you again soon
Best
Crispin
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26th July 2024 at 6:25 pm
Great poem Mike Bartram. Eddie was a legend, affectionately known in Liverpool as, “the first hooligan.” Even the hoolies were well dressed in those days. The amazing thing was he was only 26 when that picture was taken. He’d played for Everton youth team and was well known to the players. He never got arrested. They threw him out and he climbed back in, just in time for Derek Temples winner.
I used the picture of him being tackled to the ground on the front cover of my book, “Once Upon a rhyme in Football.” It’s worth looking on youtube and finding the re-enactment of the Wembley scene. Frank Skinner and Baddiel went around to Eddies home in the 1990’s and acted it out on the green outside. It’s hilarious, especially all the effort they put in to get Eddie sober enough to shoot the scene.
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10th July 2024 at 6:07 pm
Hi Crispin,
I don’t know if you’ve see the picture in social media today…
a picture of a teenage Lionel Messi cradling a baby in Africa as part of a photoshoot…. the family had won a lottery to have their baby pictured with him….
the photographer has just revealed that the baby is actually in fact Lamine Yamal!!!!
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26th May 2024 at 2:30 pm
Hi Denys…
Re Man City:
OK it was 20 years ago but Criag Wilson did write this and a few others on them back in 04/05.
BTW I’m more Forest Green Rover since 2014 (and Chelsea) these days . I drum and am a standing season ticket holder.
Best
Crispin
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29th April 2024 at 2:47 pm
Hi Denys,
Yes Richard Williams you’re a brilliant wordsmith, my friend. When I first saw your football poetry I thought it was the superb Guardian sports and music writer. I once had the honour of sitting next to Richard Williams while at the Independent on the sports desk. He writes about music and sport with immense knowledge and authority. I’ve read a couple of Richard’s books recently. Great writer rather like you Richard Williams the Pompey fan. Congratulations on promotion.
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28th April 2024 at 5:59 pm
Thanks Denys. Yes your replay poem was superb.
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