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The First Time

Mark Thomas

Monday, January 29th, 2007

1 Leave a comment on verse 1 0 Anfield in the evening
For an eleven year old boy
Through the Mersey Tunnel
With Brother Billy, Uncle Roy
“Mind yer car”, said the kids
Then we joined the crowd
The Kop had started early
Already, they were loud
In streets of terraced houses
Unlucky ones ask for “spares”
Men shout on every corner
As they wait to sell their wares
Inside, my senses overload
The colour, the noise, the smells
Shankly, Manager of the Month
With a giant bottle of “Bell’s”
Liverpool in their vivid red
Newcastle in black and white
Kick off and the action starts
How I’d waited for this night
Clemence, Smithy, Lindsay, Lloyd
Toshack, Hall and Stevie Heighway
A teenager with long blonde hair
Alun Evans na na na na hey hey
Cally, Thompson, Emlyn Hughes
I’m nearly deafened by the roar
By now the game’s but a distant blur
Lawler scored in a one-one draw
Seen my heroes, heard the fans
Singing that famous old song
A backward glance and a promise
I’ll be back before too long …

Notes

For the “First Match” series. Football League Division One, 6th April 1971.

Source: http://footballpoets.org/poems/the-first-time-3/