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The Clown Prince.

John Oliver

Tuesday, August 10th, 2010

1 Leave a comment on verse 1 0 Mathews, Milburn, Mannion
Long ago when they were young
Played the game with style and grace
Like words from a poets tongue.
And at grounds in post war England
From Roker Park to White Hart Lane
Crowds flocked there in their thousands
To stand cloth-capped against the rain.
And as a youngster I remember
Sitting on the cinder track
Watching a North East legend
Who went by the name of ‘Shack’
The original clown prince of soccer
A one off, as they say
And on Tyneside and on Wearside
He’s still talked about today.
And the cloth caps may have gone now
And so has the cinder track
Along with Mathews, Milburn and Mannion
And Len Shackelton…….Known as ‘Shack’.

© OLIVER 2010

Notes

I still have my original hardback copy of Len Shackelto’s autobiography
‘Clown Prince of Soccer’ first published in 1955. ‘Shack’ found himself in trouble with the football authorities with chapter 9 called ‘The average director’s knowledge of football’ which was a blank page.

Source: http://footballpoets.org/poems/the-clown-prince/