• The rare oul’ times
    Raised on songs and stories, Heroes of renown, The passing tales and glories Before we were struck down. We can’t afford detergents To spray the terrace weeds, But still we crave resurgence For Shelbourne and for Leeds. Ring-a-ring-a-rosie, Weekly pantomimes I remember Leeds and Shelbourne In the rare oul’ times. Oh where did Eddie Gray […]
  • Taking it on the chin
    When you lose a game that’s easier to win, When the underdogs wipe off your foolish grin, You wish that you possessed a thicker skin, But have to take it staunchly on the chin. Undone by one small lapse in discipline That sees the ball despairingly roll in. As, all around, detractors make a din, […]
  • Losing to Bohs
    It isn’t quite the deepest of our woes, It’s somewhat untraumatic, I suppose, To lose a League Cup fixture to the Bohs. At other times we’ve writhed in fevered throes, Shivering from our temples to our toes, Assailed by hosts of bitter-minded foes Like ghoulish rooks and sombre hooded crows, That from the seeds of […]
  • Of football pitches and gravel
    In life, there’s things, Like Lords and Rings, That seem to go together. Wingers, crosses, Foul mouths, bosses, Bank Holidays, crap weather. Whiskey, soda, Shoes and odour, A district judge and gavel, But two distinct Things are not linked – A football pitch and gravel. Columbus sailed, His ship prevailed, But nowhere could he berth […]
  • Horribly wrong
    The oasis has shrunk as the sand dunes encroach. The nomads move on with no word of reproach. The farmers still struggle to till the dry land But can’t call a halt to the onrushing sand. The night has extinguished the clear light of day. The walls of the temple begin to decay. The firm […]