Gavin Ellis and the season when time stood still -- part 15
By Ray Simpson
More from the Darlo poet
In the last of the series, Gavin Ellis looks back at the closing stages of last season, and the looming first lockdown.
We'd like to thank Gavin for his prose over the last few months.
A LEAP IN THE DARK
It’s a Leap Year day in Darlington, we welcome Brackley Town
Let’s hope we reach half time today with being five-nil down
The game kicks off, Brackley today are playing in bright red shirts
That mauling at St James’s Park surely still hurts
The game beings, it’s nip and tuck, this Brackley side are class
Neither side is helped though by a bobbling ball on grass
With half time fast approaching Jaz Rivers is downed
Campbell slots the spot kick home to brighten up the ground
Second half chance after chance, the Brackley goal we pound
An elusive goal to seal the win just cannot be found
When Brackley Town fetch on a sub you know he’s going to score
The first shot that he has at goal secures a one-one draw
THE BEGINNING OF THE END
I travel to the new Bucks Head as a loyal Darlo fan
With people dying daily in the clinics of Milan
A United Kingdom lock-down supposed on the way
All the Darlo fans can do is wait and hope and pray
Will Hatfield scores a cracking goal to put us in the lead
Then Dinanga Pegs us back again, oh no – just what we need
That’s four he’s scored past us this term, he’s starting to annoy
The Darlington defenders seem to be his favourite toy
Adam Campbell scores again, we’re now two-one ahead
We finally have broke our jinx, a win at the New Bucks Head
Gavin Cowan praises us and said we were imposing
Not that his comments matter now with everything soon closing
END GAME
Farsley Celtic come to town, the nation’s on the brink
Today’s results irrelevant, will we swim or sink
Goalkeeper Chris Elliott will learn that life is cruel
His several glaring errors lead to no contract renewal