I love Wednesday night’s walking football: The gathering dusk of late October: Floodlights lighting the way to goal, While a moon rises high in the sky, Illuminating childhood memories Of yesteryear’s Autumn Almanack: Playing marbles, conkers, knock-door-runaway, Or kicking a football under street lamps, Or collecting wood for the street bonfire, Always ceremonially lit, each […]

It must have been 1965, We were having a lunchtime kick-about. ‘It’s Good News Week’ by Hedgehoppers’ Anonymous Was playing on someone’s transistor Just behind the goal nearest the school, Someone was puffing out on the wing, And crossed hopefully towards the edge of the box, Where I had strayed, and where I stood, Predicting […]

When watching Brazil It’s just like watching Brazil. Life’s like that sometimes.

I was determined to boycott the World Cup, And be like Christian in Pilgrim’s Progress: Avoiding all seductive temptations, And deceptions from the ‘beautiful game’ – For the arguments against watching, Reached all the way up to the heavens. And so, I tip-toed like a Puritan, On my personal Pilgrim’s Progress, Walking these redemptive hills […]

That autumnal expedition to Brimscombe Seems all a bit too good to be true: Cycling past that spring alongside Bagpath, Where an old Rodborough resident Once slaked his thirst descending to Brimscombe, Where he played football on a Saturday, And where he slaked his thirst again, When ascending at the end of the match (A […]