Peter Goulding rails at life from the comfort of his armchair in Dublin’s suburbia. He blogs on lighthouses and writes both humorous and serious verse, though few people can tell the difference. He has just finished his first novel and plans to read another one soon. He follows Shelbourne FC and was an ardent follower of English football until it was destroyed by Sky in 1993.
Poems by Peter Goulding
- Ogden Nash debunks Brazil
- Former players spouting (rondeau)
- Eight years old
- Airtime to fill
- The death of custard
- Six-year-olds play a match
- Orange leather footballs in the snow
- The end of Tolka Park
- I miss the old clock at the Ballybough end
- Trampolining
- The rusty old tin shed
- Another season
- Playoffs
- Playing you next year
- End of season prayer
- Give us back our football
- If only they’d stop winning
- The one club man
- Finn Harps away
- WC2014 Epilogue
- WC2014 Day 32 Argentina 0 Germany 1 (aet)
- WC2014 Day 31 Brazil 0 Netherlands 3
- WC2014 Day 30 Rest Day
- WC2014 Day 28 Argentina 0 Netherlands 0 (4-2 pens)
- WC2014 Day 29 Rest Day
- WC2014 Day 27 Brazil 1 Germany 7
- WC2014 Day 26 Rest Day
- WC2014 Day 24 Costa Rica 0 Nethlds 0 (3-4 pens)
- WC2014 Day 25 Rest Day
- WC2014 Day 23 Brazil 2 Columbia 1
- WC2014 Day 24 Advice to Juan Zuniga
- WC2014 Day 24 Argentina 1 Belgium 0
- WC2014 Day 23 France 0 Germany 1
- WC2014 Day 22 Another Rest Day
- WC2014 Day 21 Rest Day
- WC2014 Day 20 Argentina 1 Switzerland 0 (aet)
- WC2014 Day 20 Belgium 2 USA 1 (aet)
- WC2014 Day 18 Costa Rica 1 Greece 1 (5-3 pens)
- WC2014 Day 19 France 2 Nigeria 0
- WC2014 Day 19 Algeria 1 Germany 2 (aet)
- WC2014 Day 17 Brazil 1 Chile 1 (3-2 pens)
- WC2014 Day 17 Colombia 2 Uruguay 0
- WC2014 Day 18 Mexico 1 Netherlands 2
- WC2014 Day 16 Rest day
- WC2014 Day 15 Algeria 1 Russia 1
- WC2014 Day 15 Ghana 1 Portugal 2
- WC2014 Day 15 Germany 1 USA 0
- WC2014 Day 15 Belgium 1 South Korea 0
- WC2014 Day 14 Bosnia and Herzegovina 3 Iran 1
- WC2014 Day 14 Ecuador 0 France 0
- WC2014 Day 14 Argentina 3 Nigeria 2
- WC2014 Day 14 Honduras 0 Switzerland 3
- WC2014 Day 12 Australia 0 Spain 3
- WC2014 Day 13 Italy 0 Uruguay 1
- WC2014 Day 13 Greece 2 Ivory Coast 1
- WC2014 Day 12 Chile 0 Netherlands 2
- WC2014 Day 12 Brazil 4 Cameroon 1
- WC2014 Day 12 Croatia 1 Mexico 3
- WC2014 Day 13 Costa Rica 0 England 0
- WC2014 Day 13 Colombia 4 Japan 1
- Real football back again
- WC2014 Day11 Portugal 2 USA 2
- WC2014 Day 11 Algeria 4 South Korea 2
- WC2014 Day 10 Argentina 1 Iran 0
- WC2014 Day 10 Germany 2 Ghana 2
- WC2014 Day 10 Bosnia 0 Nigeria 1
- WC2014 Day 11 Belgium 1 Russia 0
- WC2014 Day 9 Costa Rica 1 Italy 0
- WC2014 Day 9 France 5 Switzerland 2
- WC2014 Day 9 Statement from HRH
- WC2014 Day 9 Ecuador 2 Honduras 1
- WC2014 Day 8 Colombia 2 Ivory Coast 1
- WC2014 Day 8 Greece 0 Japan 0
- WC2014 Day 8 England 1 Uruguay 2
- WC2014 Day 7 Australia 2 Holland 3
- WC2014 Day 7 Chile 2 Spain 0
- WC2014 Day 7 Cameroon 0 Croatia 4
- WC2014 Day 6 Russia 1 South Korea 1
- WC2014 Day 6 Brazil 0 Mexico 0
- WC2014 Day 5 Germany 4 Portugal 0
- WC2014 Day 5 Iran 0 Nigeria 0
- WC2014 Day 5 Ghana 1 USA 2
- WC2014 Day 6 Algeria 1 Belgium 2
- WC2014 Day 4 Ecuador 1 Switzerland 2
- WC2014 Day 4 France 3 Honduras 0
- WC2014 Day 4 Argentina 2 Bosnia Herzegovina 1
- WC2014 Day 3 Ivory Coast 2 Japan1
- WC2014 Day 3 England 1 Italy 2
- WC2014 Day 3 Colombia 3 Greece 0
- WC2014 Day 2 Australia 1 Chilly 3
- WC2014 Day 3 England doesn’t expect
- WC2014 Day 3 Costa Rica 3 Uruguay 1
- WC2014 Day 2 Cameroon 0 Mexico 1
- WC2014 Day 1 Brazil 3 Croatia 1
- WC2014 Day 2 Netherlands 5 Spain 1
- WC2014 – Day 1- Alleluia
- There’s always somebody
- Mexico 1970
- England still believe
- The day European football came to Connemara
- Load more
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
John Gilbert Ellis
28th November 2024
joe morris
26th November 2024
Denys E. W. Jones
26th November 2024
Gacina Bozidar
26th November 2024
Wynn Wheldon
26th November 2024
joe morris
17th November 2024
Crispin Thomas
17th November 2024
kevin halls
10th November 2024
joe morris
10th November 2024
Clik The Mouse
10th November 2024
Crispin’s Corner
In Memoriam
Kick It Out & Christmas Truce
Latest Comments
27th November 2024 at 5:55 am
‘You’re Supposed To Be At Home’ is an excellent and moving poem Denys.
You start off thinking it’s just about another oft-sung chant, one we personally heard a lot last season throughout our second relegation in a row here at Forest Green(FGR) ! I always love poems where you think they are saying one thing and then they suddenly pull you deeper to somewhere or something else else.
I’m currently helping in a local school for FGR in a voluntary capacity using football to help young students with reading. At an upcoming session we will tackle racism, just like we did in workshops at football schools and grounds when we first started this site 24 years ago. I’m gonna try and weave your poem into a session.
We’ve added it to the Anti- Racism/Kick It Out section under Crispin’s Corner.
Best C
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26th November 2024 at 1:59 pm
Great poem and great to see you back Wyn.
Don’t leave it so long next time my friend!
More please.
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13th September 2024 at 6:14 pm
Welcome to Football Poets Beth
Great evocative poem Beth….
More please !
Haiku always welcome.
Hope we (FGR) get to play you again soon
Best
Crispin
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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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