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Under 21 glory for England

joe morris

Sunday, June 29th, 2025

1 Leave a comment on verse 1 0 Just when you thought it was safe
To come out from behind your sofa
Football once again made its presence felt
Amid the summertime idyll
Of this tropical paradise
In dear old Blighty
Bathing in 90 degrees of Nirvana
Concluding chapters of June
Amid the baking heat of this
Fair and pleasant green land
Yesterday England did it again
In an almost carbon copy of the
Boys of 66 when Bobby, Sir Geoff Hurst
And Martin Peters defined the age
And put their indelible signature
On the World Cup winning papers
Of legend and historic deeds
Never forgotten, of course
But yesterday the Under 21 colts
Wet behind the ears
Called themselves stylish striplings
And England have won something again
But this time not the seniors
The juniors brought it home
From Bratislava
Certainly not Czech mate
More the subtle probings
Of kings and queens
Knights in armour
Castles landing on the
Prime territory of victory
Knock that bishop out of the way
Lee Carsley’s Under 21 darlings
Clutch a trophy,
And yet no sight of dancing
In Trafalgar Square fountains
More like the theatrical talents
Of babes in arms
England, with the
Now firmly established class
Of Liverpool’s Harvey Elliott
Break open the normally
Secure defensive vault
Of the Germans
Ransacking, looting and pillaging
Teutonic rock solid efficiency
Then Omari Hutchison lifts
England to the spectacular heights
Of a two goal lead
Before James McAtee, Alex Scott,
Elliott Anderson send England into
The fairy tale land of
Barely credible achievement
Simply stunning and phantasmagorical
Realms of a thousand
Discussions in the pubs, wine bars
And through the saloon doors
Of England’s most highly respected
Voices who just love to talk about
The national side in shades of
Dull and dreary monochrome
And last night, England brought it home
Jonathan Rowe flung himself at the ball
And England heard and saw vivid and
Beautifully graphic images of 1966
Yes at long last,
England win a trophy
Even if it wasn’t quite the one
We were privately hoping for
That’s for another year
Next year
When America, Mexico and Canada
Will reach out with hospitable
Arms and the warmest receptions
When the World Cup returns
In its latest edition
Can it really happen exactly
60 years after that one
And only triumph
When England embraced the
Sixties like a long lost friend
We shall see?

Notes

Well done to Lee Carsley’s Under 21 England on beating Germany in the Final.

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Source: http://footballpoets.org/poems/under-21-glory-for-england/

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