Four days afterwards, Liverpool Football Club travelled to Vicarage Road, Watford, to play Watford Football Club in the Second Round of the Football League Cup. In the sixth minute, Slater scored an own goal for Watford Football Club. In the seventy-fifth minute, Ian St John scored for Liverpool Football Club. And Liverpool Football Club beat Watford Football Club of the Second Division two — nil. Away from home, away from Anfield. Three days later, Coventry City came to Anfield, Liverpool. That afternoon, forty-eight thousand, three hundred and thirty-seven folk came, too. Coventry City were fourth in the First Division and Liverpool Football Club were second in the First Division. In the thirty-seventh minute, Ian St John scored. And in the eighty-ninth minute, Geoff Strong scored. And Liverpool Football Club beat Coventry City Football Club two — one. At home, at Anfield. That day, Derby County beat Everton Football Club two — one.
On Tuesday 9 September, 1969, Sunderland Football Club came to Anfield, Liverpool. That evening, forty-six thousand, three hundred and seventy folk came, too. In the twelfth minute, Geoff Strong scored. And in the thirty-fourth minute, Tommy Smith scored. And Liverpool Football Club beat Sunderland Football Club two — nil. At home, at Anfield. That evening, Liverpool Football Club had sixteen points. That evening, Derby County had fourteen points. And Everton Football Club had thirteen points. That evening, Liverpool Football Club were first in the First Division.
32. WINTER: A DIRGE
In the bedroom, at their window. Bill stared out through the glass, up beyond the trees. Into the night, into the sky. And up at the moon. Men had designed rockets. Men had built rockets. Men had travelled in rockets. And everybody had stood and everybody had watched. Men land on the moon. Men walk on the moon. Men plant a flag on the moon. Everybody standing, everybody watching. The ball going up, the ball coming down. Just standing, just watching. The flag on the moon, the ball in the goal. In their bedroom, at the window. Bill heard footsteps on the stairs. The bedroom door open. And Ness cough –
There you are, love. What are you doing, standing in the dark? Draw the curtains, love. It’s dark now. It’s getting late, love.
Bill smiled. And Bill said, I know, love. I know.
Bill knew if you listened carefully. If you listened closely. There was always the sound of chains. Always the sound of knives. And always the sound of spades. At your back, in your shadow. The sound of chains rattling. The sound of knives sharpening. The sound of spades digging. Rattling, sharpening and digging –
And ticking. The clock ticking.
…
On the touchline, the touchline at Old Trafford. Bill shook the hand of Wilf McGuinness. And Bill said, Well played, Wilf. Well played. And I wish you all the best for the rest of the season, Wilf.
Thank you, Mr Shankly. And the same to you, sir …
Bill nodded. And Bill looked up into the stand, the Main Stand at Old Trafford. And Bill saw Matt. Matt still looking old, Matt still looking drained. Exhausted and not smiling –
Bill not smiling. Liverpool Football Club not first in the First Division now. Liverpool Football Club third in the First Division –
On the bench, the Anfield bench. In the first minute, Bill watched Evans score. In the tenth minute, Lawler score. In the twenty-fourth minute, Smith score. In the thirty-sixth minute, Graham score. In the thirty-eighth minute, Evans score again. In the fifty-sixth minute, Alec Lindsay score. On his debut. In the sixty-seventh minute, Smith score again. In the sixty-ninth minute, Thompson score. In the seventy-sixth minute, Callaghan score. In the eighty-second minute, Graham score again. And on the bench, the Anfield bench. Bill was smiling now. Liverpool Football Club had beaten Dundalk Football Club ten — nil in the first leg of the First Round of the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup –
On the bench, the bench at Maine Road. Bill watched Doyle score for Manchester City. Bill watched Evans equalise. Bill watched Young score for Manchester City. Bill watched Graham equalise. But then Bill watched Bowyer score for Manchester City. And Manchester City had knocked Liverpool Football Club out of the Football League Cup. And Bill was not smiling now –
On the bench, the bench at the Hawthorns. Bill stared out at the players of Liverpool Football Club. But Bill did not see Ron Yeats. Yeats was injured. And Bill did not see Ian St John. St John was injured. Bill saw Larry Lloyd. And Bill saw Phil Boersma. And Bill saw West Bromwich Albion Football Club tear Liverpool Football Club apart. Lawrence save from Suggett. Lawrence save from Hope. Lawrence save from Brown. Lawrence save from Hegan. And Lawrence save from Suggett again. But then the ball fell to Astle. And Lawrence did not save from Astle. And Astle scored. But in the twenty-fifth minute, Thompson passed to Hunt. And Hunt crossed. Graham met the cross from Hunt. And Graham nodded the cross into the goal. But in the second half, from thirty yards out, Hegan shot. And Hegan scored. And Liverpool Football Club were losing two — one. And the long minutes became short minutes. Again. Bill heard the crowd whistling. The short minutes become dying minutes. Again. The crowd whistling, still whistling. But in the ninety-seventh minute, Hughes passed to Hunt on the edge of the penalty area. The crowd whistling, still whistling and whistling. And Hunt shot. And Hunt scored. And with the last kick of the game, Liverpool Football Club drew two-all with West Bromwich Albion. And Bill saw some of the crowd run onto the pitch. Onto the field. And one of the crowd punched the referee in his face. And the police came onto the pitch. And the police escorted the referee from the pitch. From the field,
down the tunnel.
…
In Newcastle, in the hotel. In the dining room, in his chair. Bill watched the players eat their steak and chips. Bill watched the players eat their tinned fruit and cream. Tommy Lawrence. Chris Lawler. Geoff Strong. Tommy Smith. Ron Yeats. Emlyn Hughes. Ian Callaghan. Phil Boersma. Bobby Graham. Alun Evans. Peter Thompson. And the Saint. Bill heard the players joking, Bill heard the players laughing. And in the lounge, in his chair, Bill watched the players playing cards. Tommy Lawrence. Chris Lawler. Geoff Strong. Tommy Smith. Ron Yeats. Emlyn Hughes. Ian Callaghan. Phil Boersma. Bobby Graham. Alun Evans. Peter Thompson. And the Saint. Bill heard the players joking. Bill heard the players laughing. And in the lobby, by the lift. Bill heard the players say goodnight. Bill watched the players go upstairs. Tommy Lawrence. Chris Lawler. Geoff Strong. Tommy Smith. Ron Yeats. Emlyn Hughes. Ian Callaghan. Phil Boersma. Bobby Graham. Alun Evans. Peter Thompson. And the Saint. The players still joking, the players still laughing. And in his room, on the bed. Bill threw his book onto the floor. His book of names, his book of notes. And Bill stood up. And in his room, on the carpet. Bill paced and Bill paced. And Bill thought and Bill thought. About the players, all the players. About Tommy Lawrence. About Chris Lawler. About Geoff Strong. About Tommy Smith. About Ron Yeats. About Emlyn Hughes. About Ian Callaghan. About Phil Boersma. About Bobby Graham. About Alun Evans. About Peter Thompson. And about the Saint. The games he had played and the runs he had made. The tackles he had made and the balls he had won. The passes he had played and the goals he had scored. On the Friday night, the night before the game. In Newcastle, in the hotel. In his room, his tiny hotel room. Bill paced and Bill paced. Bill thought and Bill thought. And Bill worried and Bill worried. He thought about the Saint and he worried about the Saint. About what he would do with the Saint, about what he would say to the Saint. And Bill paced and he paced. And Bill thought and he thought. And Bill worried and he worried. His jacket stuck to his shirt. The sound of the chains. His shirt stuck to his vest. The sound of the knives. His vest stuck to his skin. The sound of the spades. Until night became morning, until Friday became Saturday. The day here,