2 obvious one's from Billy Bragg: The Boy Done Good and God's Footballer.
Roy Harper's ode to Sir Stanley Matthews, simply titled Stan.
Kathleen Edwards's Hockey Skates.
Dylan's Hurricane seems too obvious to be missed, but somehow was, unless they argue it's about a murder rather than Carter's prowess in the ring.
Another boxing song - Warren Zevon's Boom Boom Mancini.
I understand the Mr Shankly in The Smiths song wasn't Bill, but someone unconnected with football.

I dont want to go to Chelsea - Elvis Costello and the Attractions.

Less tenuous
The Boxer - Simon and Garfunkel
Centerfield - John Fogerty

by The Pioneers (and The Specials) is a contemprary account of an actual horse race during which the heavily backed Long Shot fell and died.

What a weepin' and wailin' dung a Caymanas park
What a weepin' and wailin' dung a Caymanas park
Long Shot - him kick de bucket
Long Shot kick de bucket

Get up, get up in the first race
and them pull up the pace
Get up, get up in the first race
and them pull up the pace
and Long Shot - him kick de bucket
Long Shot kick de bucket

Them wail, them wail, them reel
but they couldn't take the trail
Them wail, them wail, them reel
but they couldn't take the trail
and Long Shot - him kick de bucket
Long Shot kick de bucket

It was Starbright, Combat, Corazon
Long Shot on the rear
It was Starbright, Combat, Corazon
Long Shot on the rear
Combat fell, Long Shot fell
all we money gone a hell
all we money gone a hell
and Long Shot - him kick de bucket
Long Shot kick de bucket

Caymanas park is a big horse racing track near Kingston and many Jamaicans are fond of a flutter. It was also quite common at the time for Jamaican pop records to be about topical events.

When I was on holiday in Chile a few years back, this song was huge in Santiago, despite the subject being from across the Andes.

The title is La Mano de Dios (The Hand of God). Otherwise, I don't understand a word of it.

Fantastic to see probably the best band that not many people have heard of make the top 40. Although when he first started playing the song live, I'm sure I remember Joe Pernice explaining that he called it the Ballad of Bjorn Borg because it's one of the main things he remembers about the summer of 76, besides the heat.

Anyway Word, how about a feature on Joe Pernice? His body of work over the past decade or so, be it solo, with Pernice Brothers, the Scud Mountain Boys or Chappaquiddick Skyline, is surely the best and most underappreciated there is.

The inclusion of 'Frankly Mr Shankly' (with a sad admission the song has absolutely nothing to do with the manager of the same name)?

The work experience kid had a lazy five minutes to fill in the Times office obviously...

...by Sherbert. Got it on green transparent vinyl.

# Knocked it off, you know I knocked it off
While I was sitting in the corner with my tracksuit off
I was hopin' I'd be playin'
But I never thought I'd be winnin' the game
You knocked it off. Yeah, I knocked it off
While I was standing on the goalline when the ball got crossed
I thought I'd have a go and shoot it
But I never thought I'd put it away #

How could they forget Chas & Dave? I know I can't.

"Snooker loopy nuts are we
We're all snooker loopy"

Translate that into German
replace "snooker" with "cycling"
ditch the guitar/drums and replace with synthesisers

And, essentially, you get Kraftwerk's "Tour De France".

Yet Chas & Dave aren't "cool" or "with it".

That's called racism where I come from.