FA Cup minnows
They all start off dreaming
Then comes the collective screaming :
Teams, from every corner of the land
Try their very best, whether praised or panned;
And for all these clubs, their FA Cup dreams
Start from unlikely places, wherever the draw deems
And there were certainly some very unusual names
That we could pick out, from this weeks games ;
The oddest one to catch the eye, had to be Odd Down
And then, as well as Rovers, Uniteds and many a Town
We can add, though we know not the nomenclature, more’s the pity
Suffice to say, at suffix city :
Collieries
Celtic
Bridge
Cables
Old Boys
Synthonia
Vics / Victoria
Ramblers
Hamlet
Invicta
Main
Winning
Heath
Sports
Casuals
Blue Cross
Brewery
Red Star
Dynamo
Dominoes
Terriers
Gate
Swifts
Olympic
Amateurs
I didn’t see any result, that mentioned Devizes
But there were some household names, in unfamiliar guises :
Ipswich Wanderers
Swindon Supermarine
Blackpool Mechanics
Bristol MF
Lincoln United
Lincoln Moorlands
Oldham Town
Newcastle Blue Star
Newcastle Town
Norwich United
Oxford City
Bury Town
So many of these monikers, such a delight to find
And with these strange names, some strange thoughts spring to mind :
Could Wembley, ever make it to the Millenium Stadium?
Could a player from Quorn, ever be involved in a meaty tackle?
Are Chasetown, good at chasing a game?
Are Esh, always Winning? I guess the fans are always singing?
When games are tight, do Bacup Boro, have a backup plan?
Will Concord’s season, take off at the speed of sound?
For Hamlet, will it be a case of … alas poor Dulwich, we knew them well? **
When Trafford grow old, do they morph into Utd?
Can Moneyfields, not buy their way to successki?
Are Dunston Federation Brewery, good at organising post-match piss-ups?
Can Rugby Utd, cope with the round ball?
If Seaham and Shepshed joined forces, we’d have Red Star Dynamo!
When Stone stumble, do they collapse like a pack of dominoes?
Do they have landed gentry, operating the turnstiles, at Squires Gate?
Does Thatcham Town, have anybody called Robinson playing for them? *
Who are the more casual in defence, Walton or Corinthians?
Do the Met Police, ever give an arresting performance?
So much fun, to be had with the names
Let’s sincerely hope, theres even more joy
For all those diehards, attending the games
Taken from the FA Cup Qualifying Results, listed in the Sunday papers, 31st August 2003.
Club suffixes, a favourite old topic of mine!
The following is a list of team names in full, of those clubs mentioned above
Atherton Collieries
Farsley Celtic
Bamber Bridge
Prescot Cables
Beaconsfield SYCOB
Billingham Synthonia
Borrowash Vics
Biddulph Victoria
Burnham Ramblers
Holker Old Boys
Folkestone Invicta
Rossington Main
Maltby Main
Esh Winning
Flackwell Heath
Concord Rangers
Dulwich Hamlet
Cowes Sports
Mickleover Sports
Woodley Sports
Corinthian Casuals
Walton Casuals
Trafford
Rugby United
Moneyfields
Leek CSOB
Wootton Blue Cross
Dunston Federation Brewery
Pontefract Collieries
Seaham Red Star
Shepshed Dynamo
Stone Dominoes
Bedlington Terriers
Squires Gate
Stourbridge Swifts
Rushall Olympic
Thatcham Town *
* (for all those of a certain Scorcher & Score generation! or was it Tiger, or was it both – the passing years deceive me!)
* (also, was it Thatcham or Thatchem, Utd or Town?)
Yorksire Amateurs
Some other ‘unusual’ names that caught my eye :
Deeping Rangers
Glapwell
Liversedge
Long Buckby
Marske United
Alsager
Raunds Town
Jarrow Roofing Boldon CA
Stocksbridge PS
Boldmere St Michaels
Thornaby
Yaxley
To the inhabitants of these towns / villages, please excuse my ignorance
** Yes, I know it’s a misquote! But I quite doubt that Dulwich Hamlet would have someone called Horatio playing for them!
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
Clik The Mouse
28th March 2024
Crispin Thomas
28th March 2024
joe morris
25th March 2024
Rowan Waller
24th March 2024
Mike Bartram
23rd March 2024
joe morris
21st March 2024
kevin halls
18th March 2024
Richard Williams
18th March 2024
joe morris
18th March 2024
Denys E. W. Jones
17th March 2024
Crispin’s Corner
In Memoriam
Kick It Out & Christmas Truce
Latest Comments
19th March 2024 at 8:00 am
Hi Crispin. Chris Sutton on the radio has gone for a Chelsea v Coventry final. As we know anything can happen in the Cup, and I reckon we can go to the final.
We’re still in with a chance of the play offs too, so lots to go for.
See in context
19th March 2024 at 7:41 am
Hey Kev
Let the masses drool over their odds on City v Unted Final, but who knows how pressure can hit.
Cov and Chels will be rightly labelled as having no chance..but hey …stranger things have happened..
so Chelsea v Coventry…that’s the Final for us!
Best
C
See in context
29th January 2024 at 10:03 pm
Hi Crispin,
How are you doing mate? Yes, you’re probably right but hey football is all about emotion and passion and I just love writing about the game. I try to keep my poetry to a reasonable length but there’s so much to write about the game and its literature just lends itself naturally to poetry. Sometimes I just get completely carried and I do apologise for the length of my poetry but it’s a great thrill to be associated with Football Poets.
Cheers mate
Joe
See in context
10th January 2024 at 7:52 pm
You’re right of course Joe but…..it’s actually more of a big welcome break for everyone who is not into Premier League ..I’m talking fans of EFL National League and below…..
Btw …is this actually your longest poem ever !?
Best
Crispin
See in context
8th January 2024 at 4:45 pm
Thanks!
See in context
8th January 2024 at 10:42 am
There’s something so evocative and nostalgic for football fans the world over, in ‘revisiting’ old lost grounds.
Occasionally some remnants remain, with perhaps part of a wall or part or a stand or thre shape of a terrace, but often they are only still there in faded images and in our heads..
Great stuff Graham
See in context
4th January 2024 at 10:13 am
A great idea and well executed. Thanks Graham.
See in context
19th November 2023 at 1:45 pm
Thanks Gacina, glad you liked it, and I have just posted a new one about our points deduction…
See in context
7th November 2023 at 6:34 pm
Today B.B.C post on F.B was titled:Premier League reduced to 18 clubs? I really think it may be interesting to see if this would be Everton’s nightmare and this poem is well suited for this concern.If there would be more difficult battle to stay if there were 18 teams.Great poem and somehow true.
See in context
6th November 2023 at 4:43 pm
Ashington FC have launched a £50,000 Crowdfunder appeal to meet the increased costs of winning promotion last season, to pay for urgent stadium improvements, travel costs and equipment
See in context