Football Poets

On the Friday before the gates swing wide,

and the new season’s first whistle calls,

the faithful gather in Marple Bridge,

at the Royal Scot’s familiar walls.

They come for those who graced the park,

p […]

Big lad, big heart, Stockport born and bred,
A United fan in scarlet red.
Though Edgeley Park still knew his face,
For County too, he’d find a place.

David Hazelhurst? That’s what it said.
But “Nu […]

On the pitch where glory’s freshly won,
Argentina basked beneath the sun.
Yet voices rose in wounded pride:
“Spain showed disrespect!” they loudly cried.
As ribbons fell and songs took flight,
their triumph […]

From captain’s armband to the manager’s chair,
Chally returned to answer County’s prayer.
Eleven years in non-league shadows cast,
he took us back to The Football League at last.

Edgeley Park was roaring when […]

Before the match, the rituals begin,
A sacred routine to guarantee a win.
Lucky boxers worn only on game day,
Lucky socks with heels and toes worn away.

Beans on burnt toast, the champion’s feast,
Right t […]

At a table of blue where the floodlights still gleam,
Three kings of a city, the soul of a dream.
Colin Bell, ever-gliding, the ghost in the field,
Francis Lee, fierce and fiery, unyielding, […]

Seven times we’ve made the way,
To Wembley Stadium for Final’s day,
With Stockport hearts we travel down,
In hope our lads will take the crown.

Four times at the old Twin Towers,
We dreamed of glory, lon […]

In towns and cities far and wide,
A question stirs, keeps football fans tied,
What defines a supporter, loyal and true?
The answer lies in the miles, just a few.

From the North to the South, it matters […]

Do you recall the Hand of God?
Yeah, Maradona, the cheating sod.
A ghostly touch, a thief’s delight,
Yet Argentines still cheer that night.

Or when Zidane’s head met Materazzi,
A legend’s end, so bold, so br […]

Down Wembley Way the coaches roll,
with scarves, with beers and sausage rolls.
Beneath the arch so vast and white,
two ‘Hatters’ clash in London light.

In Stockport town, in days of yore,
they stitched sil […]

Long live Phil Robinson,
a diamond true,
Stockport County through and through,
hope and heartbreak, loss and win,
He wore them easy, with that grin,
no grudges held, no bitterness sown,
he stood his ground, […]

Outside a pub in town,
not blue, not red,
there was a sign for proper fans,
this is what it said:

NO HALF & HALF SCARVES.
NO EXCEPTIONS.
CHUCK ‘EM IN THE BIN.
CLEAR YOUR CONSCIENCE.

I knew at once t […]

Oh, the glory of non-league play,
Where football’s played the proper way.
No diving divas or corporate glee,
Just heart and soul,
at an affordable fee.

Ramshackle stadiums,
a single small stand,
With l […]

I miss the match in bygone days, when whistles pierced the smoky haze,
And factory roofs and ashen skies, framed Saturdays before our eyes.
The ground would take us in its keep, a human tide, both loud and […]

He stood in line, with hope and pride, for tickets to the game,
Three seats he sought, with mates in mind, many times before, he’d done the same
But lo! The clerk, with steely gaze, said, “Tell me, kind old g […]

Through winter’s breath and icy fate,
A dream took flight yet met too late,
Young hearts that burned with fearless grace,
Were lost upon the sky’s embrace.
Geoff Bent, a loyal soul so true,
A servant str […]

The engines roared, the snow fell white,
Through winter’s grip they took their flight.
A team of promise, young and bold,
With dreams of glory yet untold.

But fate was cruel, the sky grew black,
The third a […]