Poems tagged ‘Oxford City’
Welcome, Harriers
A bitter Marsh Lane for Kidderminster,
Cup o’ Bovril and a piping hot Ginsters,
Or something just like one, from out o’ the hatch,
And then, there’s the whistle, and eyes one the match;
Both teams promoted, with something to prove,
the hoops were the first to make their move,
with a classic scramble in front of goal
And Andre Burley to bundle it home.
A pretty tense and even affair,
Chances at either end, to be fair,
But then Canice Carol played one through
And Olly Sanderson made it two.
– (And what a belter that was.)
Two nil up then, and riding high
And three minutes left to go til half time…
But football, well, it’s a funny old game –
The way a game turns… ahhh; you feel my pain.
First, a foul that wasn’t a foul
Earning Parker a yellow, that was never a yellow,
Which led to a corner that wasn’t a corner,
That led to a pen, that was never a pen,
Which led to a goal at the Nick of half time…
And I’ll take your word that their next was sublime,
‘Cos I admit, I heard the away crowd cheer
Just after the break… but, I was still at my beer.
From two nil up, to a level two-two,
What more from the boys in the white and blue?
A decent enough display, but in fact
What we had was a bit like a Tier 6 scrap,
Between these two newly promoted teams,
Both of them chasing an identical dream,
And after a hundred minutes of fight and toil,
These drop-zone rivals shared the spoils.
Well; that point puts us on twenty-one
From twenty two played… so not a lot wrong.
Game twenty-three next – so let’s fill The Shed
Mark halfway with three points ‘gainst Maidenhead…
Circulum in Excelsis (Hoops on High!)
1/
Home to Woking, here awoken were the City boys;
and, thus awakened, broken was grim storyline
that, with glowering shadow thereto threatened;
token of our doubtful minds.
2/
Yet, so doubting, could hopeful hearts in expectation truly differ
for next outing, memory still fresh with how next foe made suffer,
just one season past?
3/
Thirty Hoops would travel thence, there to face their Fleet amassed.
Thirty Hoops would travel there, witness to a Fleet aghast,
as Kpekawa showed his power, just five minutes on the clock,
and then McEachran, City’s weapon, dealt the Fleet a second shock;
another one from Sanderson, in second half set well alight
and then McQueen, a waking dream; and so the Hoops ran out of sight..
4/
Two wins; does this a run though make? It’s good to hear this type of talk!
Perhaps one just begun, I’ll make
my mind up Tuesday night, in York.
#rowanthepoem
Chesterfield at Home
I know what you’re thinking, Hoops;
Two games in… two painful losses;
ahead of Bromley, but points are equal,
a brace from Parker spares our blushes
and off the bottom keeps us.
Forty-four games still to play,
a hundred and thirty-two points to play for.
Next one up, though, Chesterfield –
what’s the best that we can hope for?
Feel sorry for our keepers…
But then again, it’s Tuesday night
and under lights we’re something special!
Here at home at Court Place Farm,
time to show our full potential;
leave the Spireites speechless,
and send the fans home,
wired and sleepless.
#rowanthepoem
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!
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Latest Poems
joe morris
3rd September 2024
Denys E. W. Jones
3rd September 2024
joe morris
26th August 2024
Crispin Thomas
26th August 2024
joe morris
22nd August 2024
Mike Bartram
20th August 2024
Phil Brennan
20th August 2024
joe morris
17th August 2024
Rowan Waller
17th August 2024
Alex Saynor
12th August 2024
Crispin’s Corner
In Memoriam
Kick It Out & Christmas Truce
Latest Comments
26th July 2024 at 6:25 pm
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.
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10th July 2024 at 6:07 pm
Hi Crispin,
I don’t know if you’ve see the picture in social media today…
a picture of a teenage Lionel Messi cradling a baby in Africa as part of a photoshoot…. the family had won a lottery to have their baby pictured with him….
the photographer has just revealed that the baby is actually in fact Lamine Yamal!!!!
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26th May 2024 at 2:30 pm
Hi Denys…
Re Man City:
OK it was 20 years ago but Criag Wilson did write this and a few others on them back in 04/05.
BTW I’m more Forest Green Rover since 2014 (and Chelsea) these days . I drum and am a standing season ticket holder .
Best
Crispin
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29th April 2024 at 2:47 pm
Hi Denys,
Yes Richard Williams you’re a brilliant wordsmith, my friend. When I first saw your football poetry I thought it was the superb Guardian sports and music writer. I once had the honour of sitting next to Richard Williams while at the Independent on the sports desk. He writes about music and sport with immense knowledge and authority. I’ve read a couple of Richard’s books recently. Great writer rather like you Richard Williams the Pompey fan. Congratulations on promotion.
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28th April 2024 at 5:59 pm
Thanks Denys. Yes your replay poem was superb.
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26th April 2024 at 4:46 pm
Nice work, Joe. You were quick off the mark with that! Good one from Richard Williams too I see.
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25th April 2024 at 7:33 pm
Hi Denys,
Thanks mate. I’ll do it now.
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25th April 2024 at 1:56 pm
Thanks Joe,
you might like to write a poem yourself on the same subject…
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23rd April 2024 at 4:03 pm
Hi Denys
With you all the way on the abolition of FA Cup replays. What are they doing to the game?
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23rd April 2024 at 3:59 pm
Hi Crispin,
Yes sorry mate. Villa are still in Europe. Mistake rectified.
Cheers
Joe
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