BILSTON TOWN poem about a REMARKABLE FAN...

The Orangeman

Gaudy, amber wardrobe malfunction-

Pumpkin orange, glaring

Against Black Country backdrop,

He taped his custom-crafted flag-handle

To a concrete post

And shelved his horn,

Brought for blaring:

The ringmaster, the parade-ground sergeant, the show-host:

Bilston’s bedlam, cheerleader and clown…

This inexhaustible, unerringly caring taskmaster

Of his beloved Steelmen, beaten and counting the cost,

Bellowed until the cause had been distressingly lost...

Then slowly he peeled away tape to free his standard lowered,

In abject and wondrous silent lament, yet with enthusiasm barely soured…

Pete Ray

Bilston, October 2014.

Before...

Brilliant Bilston fan, who made my afternoon, despite a 1-7 loss for his team...

...and after...