CONGRATULATIONS!!!! Kevin Raymond 1,000 Poems
CONGRATULATIONS!
One of our regular poets, Kevin Raymond, has just today – passed a magnificent personal milestone …. 1,000 poems accepted onto this website – that’s some feat Kev!
In Crispin’s words :
‘Prolific and consistent or what?…
Big up, Kev.
And yes, Kevin was not the first – Peter Goulding hit that milestone a while back, my apologies to Peter for not acknowledging it at the time. I can remember to the day when Peter first posted, and I was enthralled ever since.
Back to Kevin’s achievement :
We asked Kevin for some of his personal favourites, that we could feature here today.
He said he loved them all – and was just happy to have somewhere he could share them with like minded football fans.
I’d loved to have trawled through Kevin’s back catalogue (oo’er missus), but to shorten the search I decided that the best poems I’ve seen from almost everyone on the site – have been based on their first match – or featured their dad – often the best has in fact been the two topics combined.
And Kevin submitted one recently in just that vein – I hope it’s not too painful for Kevin to show that one again here.
It’s wonderfully poignant.
Stevenage Road, St Stephen’s Morning.
We seemed to talk of it for ever,
The pair of us, going to watch a game
So me dad bought tickets for the terraces
And suddenly a youngsters life, was never quite the same.
Jam packed double deckers
Crawling down The New Kings Road
A short walk up from Parsons Green
After strolling through a park, to Fulham’s Craven Cottage home.
Rowing crews on the river Thames
Went spurting off toward a bend
As families, fans and long time friends
Looked toward a past years end.
Snake like queues at the turnstiles
The wiff of hot chestnuts in the street
A nip of brandy to warm yer cockles
As excessed masses stamped cold feet.
“Home Fans” said a blackboard
One click, that’s it, yer in
Treasured stub stuffed in yer pocket
Midst the rattles and the singing.
“Cor don’t the pitch look lovely?”
With morning dew still on the grass
It’s Fulham, Man United and suddenly
It’s here and now the action starts.
“Keep it away from Bobby Charlton
Look out for Georgie Best
That Johnny Haynes plays with his brains
Oi ref that Denis Law’s a pest!”
I’ve absolutely no idea what year it was?
And to be straight up honest I don’t care
But I recall a St Stephens morning, Craven Cottage
And that lovely everlasting memory
Of me dad and me, stood together, cheering there!
.
© kev 008
For George Raymond R.I.P. May 26th1926 – Nov 7th 2008.
Goodnight Dad and may your God go with you.
One of the very first games me dad and me ever went to, together.
I don’t remember the year, score or whatever. What I do remember, quite vividly, however was the whole wonderful experence of the build up, the game itself and afterwards, the packed West London terraced streets as the stadium emptied, me dad and me catching the bus home to Pimlico where we lived, and not having to buy a ticket, coz me dad was a London Transport bus conductor, so him and his family got to travel for nisht!* *Yiddish for nothing.
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
29th March 2024
29th March 2024
29th March 2024
29th March 2024
29th March 2024
29th March 2024
29th March 2024
29th March 2024
29th March 2024
29th 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