(in honour of Robert ‘Bobby’ Carmichael Mitchell, 19/7/1924- 8/4/1993)
Mine Host
of the twinkling left foot,
wing-raiding Scot,
this Border Reiver
was a man of magic,
made full backs disappear.
‘Dazzler’ we called him,
he tied the ball to his toes,
took it for a walk.
Wor Bobby bobbing along,
criss-crossing
patterns
through flat defences.
His waving hair
streaked
under the waves
of ‘Popular Side’ crowds:
classic moments
flickering on film,
roars on a soundtrack,
Cup goals laid
on a plate.
KEITH ARMSTRONG
