NO FOOTPRINT IN THE SNOW

NO FOOTPRINT IN THE SNOW

(December 1978)

It was snowing and miserably grey in Manchester,

The buses were on strike, so we walked.

West Brom’ was a very good team then,

We were confident of winning as we talked.

It was all about one man during the game,

He was booed by their fans for being black.

But, he quietened the bigots with a superb display,

Our Laurie Cunningham, number eleven on his back.

(Result: Manchester Utd 3 West Bromwich Albion 5)

This good looking boy came from London,

To ‘The Hawthorns’ where he’d find his fame.

His dazzling speed and mesmeric runs,

The ‘Black Pearl’ would become his new name.

His partnership with the powerhouse Cyrille Regis,

Along with the cultured fullback Batson.

Got them known as Albions own ‘Three degrees’,

A fact not lost on the manager 'Big Ron

Laurie practised ballet, to hone his silky skills,

And against Valencia he tore Carete apart.

The mighty Real Madrid then offered a fortune for him,

To the Bernabau, he departed to show his fine art.

The ‘Black Pearl’ went on to win many accolades,

European cups and honours went hand in hand.

But, within time he fell out of favour in Spain,

For a reason that’s hard to understand.

Our Laurie came back to England,

But, things were never quite the same.

The terrible tackles made to stop him playing,

With him moving from club to club for a game.

Our old hero returned to Spanish football,

Rayo Vallecano remembered he was superbly skilled,

But tragedy struck whilst he was in his car,

On July 15^th 1989 The ‘Black Pearl’ was killed.

To West Brom fans of an age he’s a legend,

For me, the greatest player I’d ever seen.

It’s taken many years for him to get global recognition,

The English press ignorance to his magical ability obscene.

But I’ll leave the one true lasting and fitting epitaph,

 By his old manager Ron Atkinson, who would know.

 When asked “Just how good is Laurie Cunningham?”

“He’s so light on his feet; he’d leave no footprint in the snow”

Laurence Paul ‘Laurie’ Cunningham

(March 8^th 1956 – July 15^th 1989)

Rest in Peace.

Phil Hall  April 2013