Your Hillsborough Poems
YOUR HILLSBOROUGH POEMS 2000-2024 – Our selection of poems published on the new site since 2015 and the original/old Football Poets website (2000-2015) now preserved/archived by the British Library. They recall and remember the lives of those original 96 (now 97) souls we lost. The tragic Hillsborough disaster occurred during the semi-final FA Cup tie : Liverpool v Nottingham Forest on 15 April 1989 at Hillsborough Stadium, Sheffield. The crush resulted in the deaths of 96 people, with a total of 766 other persons being injured. All of them were Liverpool fans RIP. New poems welcome. Crispin
2024
15 Apr The 98th Angel Mike Bartram
2023
16 Apr Hillsborough – it must never happen again joe morris
16 Apr Yesterday…What I Saw Mike Bartram
15 Apr 34 Years On Mike Bartram
2022
18 Apr Darkness Descending Mike Bartram
2020
09 Mar Angels Only Whisper Mike Bartram
2019 ~30th Anniversary ~ Hillsborough 15 April 1989,
13 Aug For Paul Carlile Mike Bartram
23 Apr 97 souls, NYC Clik The Mouse
15 Apr 30 Years Ago ~ 15.4.89-15.4.19 Crispin Thomas
15 Apr April 15th 1989 sharon wilkie-jones
2018
29 Jun Hillsborough – sharon wilkie-jones
2017
25 Jun Justice For The 95? – Mike Bartram
28 Jun Snared Rats – Mike Bartram
15 Apr ‘Hillsborough Law’ – Mike Bartram
02 Dec Sometimes…- Mike Bartram
2016
27 Apr Justice? – Richard Tipping
16 Apr 96 White Doves – Mike Bartram
23 Feb Hillsborough – Justice for the 96 – Nik Pearce
2015
19 Dec Christmas 2015 Mike Bartram
13 Dec A Christmas Prayer Mike Bartram
21 Oct April 15th 1989 Eddie Cooney
09 Oct ‘Stand on Tiptoe’ Mike Bartram
12 Oct Ourselves Alone Mike Bartram
31 Aug My Friends They Say Mike Bartram
29 Aug The Eternal Flame Mike Bartram
27 Aug No Barrier Mike Bartram
14 Aug The Day You Never Came Home Mike Bartram
20 Jul Those Photographs Mike Bartram
16 July Andy Burnham Mike Bartram
18 Jun Sarah and Vicki Mike Bartram
21 May ‘Move Back Mike Bartram
13 May Katy Jones Mike Bartram
24 Apr The Swell Mike Bartram
20 Apr My Mate Rob at Hillsborough Crispin Thomas
17 Apr The Never Forgotten Few Mike Bartram
15 Apr Hillsborough Emdad Rahman
15 Apr The Ringing Bells Of Heaven Mike Bartram
15 Apr Hillsborough, 26 years later Clik the mouse
14 Apr Taunt Us No More Mike Bartram
13 Apr Pieces Mike Bartram
13 Apr That Was The Day Mike Bartram
13 Apr Hillsborough (26 Years Ago Today) Mike Bartram
07 Mar Darkness Descending Mike Bartram
06 Jan My Liverpool Home Mike Bartram
2014
16 Dec The 25th Christmas Mike Bartram
03 Oct A Disappearing Trick Mike Bartram
19 Sep The Winter Call Mike Bartram
12 Jun Posties and The Sun Mike Bartram
20 May The Decaying Picture of Justice Mike Bartram
11 May Tarnished Crown Mike Bartram
16 Apr “Forgive Me” Dulwich Poet
12 Apr Forget-me-not Alan McKean
11 Apr Animals ~ for the people of Liverpool Ralph Dartford
06 Feb Anne Williams Haiku Emdad Rahman
05 Jan This Limbo State Mike Bartram
2013
31 Dec Try To Let Go Mike Bartram
23 Oct Never Came To Me Mike Bartram
20 May Heaven And Heaven Mike Bartram
29 Apr Goodbye Anne Mike Bartram
28 Apr Injustice Garyn Jones
20 Apr Anne Williams.-Heaven Sent. jim dolbear
19 Apr A Place (For Anne Williams) Mike Bartram
17 Apr Let the Truth Come, When the Lies Fall Emily Williams
15 Apr Hillsborough – Gone but never forgotten Emdad Rahman
15 Apr Imagine Mike Bartram
15 Apr Today Mike Bartram
18 Mar Think On Mike Bartram
12 Mar The Hillsborough Disaster Tracey Clifton-Jow
09 Mar Mothers Day Love Mike Bartram
2012
03 Dec Balloon stuart ashworth
30 Nov Unusual red moon stuart ashworth
07 Nov ’10/99′ Mike Bartram
30 Oct Solidarity Has No Colours Mike Bartram
23 Oct Resigned Mike Bartram
18 Sep All Apologies Darren O’Keeffe
18 Sep A New Chapter (12/9/12) Mike Bartram
16 Sep Ban them for life kevin halls
13 Sep The Truth is Out Emily Williams
13 Sep JFT96 P Maguire
13 Sep The Hand Of Justice Points The Finger jim dolbear
13 Sep When The Truth Turns Blame To Shame Crispin Thomas
12 Sep The Truth Will Out.( Haiku ) Jim Dolbear
07 Sep Hillsborough Haiku Hy Koo
07 Sep Sept 12th 2012 Mike Bartram
23 Jul What Goes On Mike Bartram
17 Jun Six Minutes Past Three in the Afternoon Emily Williams
16 Jun Hillsborough Dads Mike Bartram
27 Apr A City United ( JFT96 ) Tony Stapo
27 Apr J F T 9 6 – Y N W A Tony Stapo
21 Apr Mirror Mirror Mike Bartram
15 Apr Don’t Go Mike Bartram
15 Apr Abandoned Clik the mouse
13 Apr The Sad Times Mike Bartram
09 Apr Hillsborough Emily Williams
03 Apr The Stench of Lies Mike Bartram
01 Apr Aprils’ Angels Mike Bartram
16 Mar Closing Ranks Mike Bartram
21 Feb Wembley (26/2/2012) l Mike Bartram
16 Feb Justice For The Ninety Six Emily williams
30 Jan Every Hillsborough Story Mike Bartram
19 Jan Establishment Curse Mike Bartram
16 Jan Time goes by Emily Williams
2011
13 Dec Justice Tonight Mike Bartram
15 Nov Liverpool v Notts Forest (Abandoned) Mike Bartram
04 Nov How about a song? Emily Williams
04 Nov Bonfire? Mike Bartram
11 Sep A Flame Emily Williams
05 Sep An Ordinary Day Emily Williams
24 Aug The 22 Year Wait Emily Williams
09 Aug Sunderland AFC (Thanks!) Mike Bartram
24 Jul How can no one hear Emily Williams
22 Jul Hillsborough Jim Bell
06 Jul The Glorious Fields of Anfield Road Mike Bartram
23 Jun Every Hillsborough Story Mike Bartram
21 Jun I Dread to Think Emily Williams
20 Jun 6 Minutes Past 3 Mike Bartram
16 Jun Count to 96 Emily Wlliams
16 Jun I was not there but I know Emily Williams
15 Jun The Legacy of Hillsborough > Mike Bartram
10 Jun Justice Cal Mike Bartram
04 May Peter Beardsley’s Shot Mike Bartram
30 Apr The scouse end Mike Bartram
19 Apr Goodnight Mike Bartram
19 Apr Victims Without A Number Mike Bartram
19 Apr The Nightmare of Hillsbrough Mike Bartram
19 Apr Hillsborough Memorial Emdad Rahman
15 Apr 96 haiku Clik the mouse
15 Apr Ninety Six William Curtis
11 Apr Gone But Never Forgotten Emdad Rahman
2010
15 Ap Why Oh Why Oh Why? Crispin Thomas
15 Apr The 96 The Bard of Burnley
15 Apr Twenty One Today. jim dolbear
15 Apr Souls Of Our Departed. Ken Bushell
2000-2009 Selection
20 Years to Yesterday S B Ingle
Just A Minute S B Ingle
Heroes mark merriman
Empty seats – the 96 legacy Clik the mouse
96 Haiku Hy Koo
Milan – Real Madrid 19/04/89 Minuto di silenzio P Maguire
The Day Truth Died P Maguire
3.06pm P Maguire
19Darren O’Keeffe
Hillsborough> Daniel McDonagh
Hillsborough P Maguire
how do you sleep? poet1978
96 poet1978
Hillsborough Justice For The 96 SB Ingle
96 Reds We’ll Never Forget P.Maguire
Hillsborough Memorial Mark Thomas
Anyone Mark Ballard
Souls Of Our Departed Ken Bushell
Do You Remember P.Maguire
Justice Part 1 Tina Bass
April 15th Hillsborough DJ Bullen
A Terrace called Leppings Lane Emsy
Hillsborough Roses Alan McKean
Remembering Hillsborough P.Maguire
The Funny Thing About Justice Mike Nicholson
Hillsborough 15 Years On Redlady
Justice For The 96 P.Maguire
At Hillsborough Stephen A Owen
Hillsborough Robert Romans
96 tears Clik the mouse
May We Never Forget Nikki Young
For the 96 Shaun Maddy
Cry me a tear mottman
96 Reasons Mark Ballard
Are You Sorry? P Maguire
96 Angels P Maguire
Justice P Maguire
Sorry Mike Nicholson
His darkest disgrace> Mike Nicholson
Why did you do it? Mike Nicholson
Wishing for their old Mum Mike Nicholson
What colour justice? Mike Nicholson
Liverpool Justice Louise Ann Lacey
Why Do I Care?Tom England
Justice for what? Chris Murphy
About This Site
Welcome to Football Poets -- a club for all football poets, lovers of football and lovers of (alternative) poetry. Discover poets in every league from respected internationals at the top of their game to young hopefuls in the school playground.
Publish your football poems here and then discuss them with your team mates and fans. We're archived by The British Library, so your masterpieces are in the safe hands of a world-class keeper. What a result!
My Account
Latest Poems
joe morris
3rd September 2024
Denys E. W. Jones
3rd September 2024
joe morris
26th August 2024
Crispin Thomas
26th August 2024
joe morris
22nd August 2024
Mike Bartram
20th August 2024
Phil Brennan
20th August 2024
joe morris
17th August 2024
Rowan Waller
17th August 2024
Alex Saynor
12th August 2024
Crispin’s Corner
In Memoriam
Kick It Out & Christmas Truce
Latest Comments
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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26th April 2024 at 4:46 pm
Nice work, Joe. You were quick off the mark with that! Good one from Richard Williams too I see.
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25th April 2024 at 7:33 pm
Hi Denys,
Thanks mate. I’ll do it now.
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25th April 2024 at 1:56 pm
Thanks Joe,
you might like to write a poem yourself on the same subject…
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23rd April 2024 at 4:03 pm
Hi Denys
With you all the way on the abolition of FA Cup replays. What are they doing to the game?
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23rd April 2024 at 3:59 pm
Hi Crispin,
Yes sorry mate. Villa are still in Europe. Mistake rectified.
Cheers
Joe
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