Gone too soon,
taken by a knock-out blow
no-one saw coming.
Champion and hero in the ring,
and on the rainy Northern streets.
Today those pavements
he would run down,
shadow-boxing,
taking on the world
and winning,
for himself
and for us all,
champion and man of the people,
those pavements are lined with mourners
dressed in black and the sky blue
of his beloved football team.
They applaud with tears in their eyes,
and chant his name
one last time.