91ΘΘ±¬

Pitch Fever and other Poems

UNTITLEDΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύHe’s football crazy, he’s football mad
He’s in the kitchen, shouting and raving
The air is blue, emotions run high
I’m in the front room, sedately behaving
West Ham are losing – he’s starting to cry!
I hate football – it makes him so wound up.
He’s hitting the roof, so I’m turning the sound up.
Football is taking over our lives,
So why do I love to watch Footballer’s Wives?
Elizabeth Goldman

EVERY OTHER SATURDAY AFTERNOON
I played for Pompey at Fratton Park.
An old ground – it’s seen better days.
Cold winter days – usually wet
People with coats, caps and white faces
Just the scarves for colour
End of end of the pitch with my mates.
Why are so many holes always under my feet?
Watch for the Away End,Μύ those pennies hurt
Pity there’s no time to pick them up
Nearly over- the teams are coming out
The crows are getting interested again
Time to leave the pitch for a drink
Bet it’s tea again
And our favourite bit –
Makes it worthwhile cleaning the kit
Half a crown for everyone in the band!
Who said there was big money in football?
Les Scriver

UNTITLED
Another one over the railway.
Summer, hot and green
Rusty railings that mark your hand with red dust when you hold on to them
I can fit through the railings
I squeeze my head through first, my body twisting through.
Push harder!
Three pairs of small hands digging into me.
It’s there in the nettles, there’s another one, kick them all back to us.
Happiness on the faces as they catch the balls.
Blue ones red ones, white ones all in a line, flat mainly with mud
Wait for me
How am I getting back!
Come back!ΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύ Krissy O'Hagan

THE GAMES I LOATHED
When I was a lad at school
If you never had a football kit, one could always be provided but it never did fit.
Football was the subject I did dread
I never felt able to compete
Kicking a bag of wind about was no way my idea of fun,
Not using me head, being shouted out again and again
For missing a goal to me was not good for my soul
Lads a bellowing
Come on score a goal
Lester Coates

PITCH FEVER
1991 will never forget, first ever football match
On the stand, cheering away, happy what fun.
Jumping up and down with joy.
Why! Only me, having so much fun
Faces falling, down at mouth all around.
Why! Were they all so quiet no sounds?
Goals. One, two three. Hey!
Boy o Boy what good play!
Then the stands empty out next to me.
Then uneasy feelings setting in.
Then it hit me why no other sounds
O my God!
Wrong Team. Wrong Stand!!
Elizanna SlaterΜύ

REALITY CHECK
I feel sorry for the English nation.
White van man stirred up by media hype
People who have been to a real football stadium
They really believe they can win this time
When will they realise β€˜66 was a long time ago and the ball never crossed the line
With a forward line of a beanpole, an apprentice and two invalids
Chosen by a Swede with a P45 in his hand
And a single ticket to Madrid
They won’t frighten Brazil, Argentina, Germany, Italy or maybe even Trinidad & Tobago
Gerrard cannot rescue them every time
How long will it be before all the flags are abandoned in the gutter?
Mars bars will be Mars bars again and the rioting has died down
One week or two.
Then it all starts again – qualifying for Europe under a guy who lost a cup final with Middlesbrough
Joe Hughes

MOMENTS
It’s 3 o’clock I hear the crowd
Chanting out the players names
The ball is kicked into the crowd
Spherical in shape
The full-back falls and the hits the ground
Lying there with his socks down
My how the opposition’s loud
Go on my son, make us proud.
Peter Amos

UNTITLED
My friend and husband are constantly arguing over football. He is football mad and she’s not. He will sit down watching football all day whilst she is left doing the housework all by herself. He doesn’t even have time for the kids or important family discussions. They always have to wait till the next day, only to find out there is another one the following day. The children have to stay with their mum upstairs all the time as they can’t get to watch television.

In order to save the marriage, she has been advised to start developing interest in football herself, so that both of them can sit down and enjoy the games. To get him to participate in the housework, she can politely ask him to do the ironing whilst at the same time watching the football.
Dora Akesse-Brempong

PLAY-OFF
It was only 11.30am but already the pubs were packed with promises that would be empty
Black and white and red and white
With drinks to match.
And happy faces. And serious faces and grim faces and policemen’s watchful eyes.
They were here cities apart, but with the hearts and minds that met at every street corner.
The clock ticked slow, then fast. As did heartbeats which surged towards the stadium
Diana Wheeler