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At Deepdale

Mike Cracknell

Thursday, February 26th, 2004

1 Leave a comment on verse 1 0 I am on the viewing platform at the National Football Museum
As I gaze upon the perfect pitch below.
I reflect on boyhood memories of this sporting athenaeum,
Of invincible lilywhite heroes in full flow.
A shadow centre forward shoots against a shadowy post,
And a ghostly goalie saves a penalty from a ghost.
There are magical matches which I recall the most,
Like beating Birmingham eight nil with a virtuoso show,
A virtuoso show.
O my Finney and my Thompson long ago!

Notes

This is a football version of the cricket poem At Lords written by arguably the greatest Preston born poet Francis Thompson. The last line serves as a tribute not only Sir Tom Finney who scored two and Tommy Thompson who scored three in the demolition of Birmingham City I witnessed with great pleasure at Deepdale in1958, but also to Francis Thompson.
This poem is dedicated to my friend at Preston Poets Society Terry Quinn who drew my attention to this website. As a Birmingham supporter he may live to regret having done so.

Source: http://footballpoets.org/poems/at-deepdale/