- Mike Gahagan
A soccer poem for January
Sonnet to a Centre Forward.
Why oh why can’t our centre forward score?
He has all the attributes to be a hero
He can hit a crossfield pass for forty seven yards or more
But his goal tally is never far from zero.
He can outjump any centre back, wreak havoc in midfield
He can slip past a defender with elan
He can use his muscled body as a ball retaining shield
He loves it if the marking’s man for man.
He’ll go back to defend corners, put his body on the line
He’ll link with our advancing full back all the game
When he collects the ball in traffic he always creates time
His talent puts the other lads to shame.
He’s the perfect centre forward and he’s only got one flaw
He can do all things with one exception: he can never, ever, score!