A football fan who got to know Sir Stanley Matthews has written a poem in tribute to the Seasiders and England great.
Dedicated to Stanley Matthews and Jack Cohen
By Andy Strowman
How much further do we go?
How much further can we run?
Our lives were once so simple,
They hardly seem to have begun.
I saw you at Upton Park,
My dad called you Old Man Moses.
You taught me the meaning of waiting
On that fierce foggy day.
I found out you had a hard life.
From Hanley streets you came.
So much like Stepney: simple walls,
Made kids play simple games.
No flash Harry cars, no Bugs Bunny dreams,
A man who gave the people time.
You taught Londoners never give up,
Whatever we did, whatever the crime.
So here is to you Sir Stan.
Thank you for being like us.
Your dad made you walk to training.
No fancy cars, no bus.
Goodbye to the best this land has produced,
Thank you for no cautions, no bookings, no shame,
Let the defenders who kicked you
Black and blue,
Look in the mirror in shame
