The Famous Tale of Eddie Cavanagh
¶ 1
Leave a comment on verse 1 0
Onto the Wembley pitch Eddie races.
Wearing his jacket, tie and braces!
Fleet of foot, he leaves behind the law.
And why not Eddie, 2-2 now the score!
This is the famous Eddie Cavanagh tale.
One cop pulled at his jacket, to no avail.
Eddie slipped out the jacket, arms raised.
He carried on his pitch invasion, unfazed.
So copper number 2 took up the chase.
Careful now Eddie, this guy’s got the pace!
But this is not Twickenham, Eddie beware.
That cop’s rugby tackle, that’s so unfair!
Eddie lied outstretched on the 18 yard line.
The funniest ever Cup Final moment of mine.
Brian Labone tried his best to intervene.
As 4 coppers now duly arrived at the scene!
Eddie was carted off, a legend he’d become.
In the best Cup Final, Everton have ever won!
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.