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Ninetieth Minute

Andy Lockett

Thursday, March 23rd, 2006

1 Leave a comment on verse 1 0 Crunch; Late tackle, nothing malicious –
Just desperate, ill-timed. Too bad, referee
Points to ground – it’s a penalty kick.
Crowd cheers, in anticipation; ‘keeper
Tenses himself, then loosens up on the line
And his opponent steps forward, ready.

2 Leave a comment on verse 2 0 Players from both sides cluster around
In rough formation, the kicker cleans
Ball on his shirt front – then places it
Firmly on the white chalk spot.
Twelve yards away from clinching victory
In a crucial league match – pressure’s on.

3 Leave a comment on verse 3 0 Taker walks back to his mark, turning to
Face the goal frame. He pauses, then
Jogs forward – eyes say left, feet say right;
Goalie – indecisive – dives sideways and
Hopes for the best. Ball flys past him,
Hitting the net crisply, a moment of truth.

4 Leave a comment on verse 4 0 Scorer ecstatic, mobbed by team-mates.
The man who conceeded gets no such
Attention – he’s been beaten, defeated
In a duel which will decide the points.
Football in microcosm; a contest to
Succeed, to triumph through adversity.

© Andy Lockett 2006

Source: https://footballpoets.org/poems/ninetieth-minute/