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Stevenage Road, St Stephen’s Morning.

kevin raymond

Sunday, November 9th, 2008

1 Leave a comment on verse 1 0 We seemed to talk of it for ever,
The pair of us, going to watch a game
So me dad bought tickets for the terraces
And suddenly a youngsters life, was never quite the same.

2 Leave a comment on verse 2 0 Jam packed double deckers
Crawling down The New Kings Road
A short walk up from Parsons Green
After strolling through a park, to Fulham’s Craven Cottage home.

3 Leave a comment on verse 3 0 Rowing crews on the river Thames
Went spurting off toward a bend
As families, fans and long time friends
Looked toward a past years end.

4 Leave a comment on verse 4 0 Snake like queues at the turnstiles
The wiff of hot chestnuts in the street
A nip of brandy to warm yer cockles
As excessed masses stamped cold feet.

5 Leave a comment on verse 5 0 “Home Fans” said a blackboard
One click, that’s it, yer in
Treasured stub stuffed in yer pocket
Midst the rattles and the singing.

6 Leave a comment on verse 6 0 “Cor don’t the pitch look lovely?”
With morning dew still on the grass
It’s Fulham, Man United and suddenly
It’s here and now the action starts.

7 Leave a comment on verse 7 0 “Keep it away from Bobby Charlton
Look out for Georgie Best
That Johnny Haynes plays with his brains
Oi ref that Denis Law’s a pest!”

8 Leave a comment on verse 8 0 I’ve absolutely no idea what year it was?
And to be straight up honest I don’t care
But I recall a St Stephens morning, Craven Cottage
And that lovely everlasting memory
Of me dad and me, stood together, cheering there!

9 Leave a comment on verse 9 0 .

© kev 008

Notes

For George Raymond R.I.P. May 26th1926 – Nov 7th 2008.

Goodnight Dad and may your God go with you.
One of the very first games me dad and me ever went to, together. I don’t remember the year, score or whatever. What I do remember, quite vividly, however was the whole wonderful experence of the build up, the game itself and afterwards, the packed West London terraced streets as the stadium emptied, me dad and me catching the bus home to Pimlico where we lived, and not having to buy a ticket, coz me dad was a London Transport bus conductor, so him and his family got to travel for nisht!* *Yiddish for nothing.

Irish families call Boxing Day, St Stephens Day. I’m almost certain that the Fulham ground, Craven Cottage is situated in Stevenage road, West London.peace.
kev

Reader messages:
Condolences fella on the sad loss of yer Da. He walks with you -English Banana

Our love and thoughts go out to you mate. Some beautiful images and memories there, poingnant and lasting. How i wish I had been lucky enough to have a dad into football, like yours . Actually, to have had a dad at all would have been good. You bring it all back .Walking through that park to the game, Fulham always the underdogs . It was Chinny Hill, Macedo, Langley, Tosh Chamberlain, Robson, Haynes and Leggat and more, Flags and fag smoke blowing in that breeze off the Thames where that bloke in the row boat on the Thames , waited for stray footballs. One week Chelsea, one week Fulham, this precious life. Keep on mate.Crispin

Source: http://footballpoets.org/poems/stevenage-road-st-stephens-morning/