These, for the Boro, are uncharted waters,
But hopes still run high for all our supporters,
Who are eager to reach the last twists in this story,
Of the Boro’s great search for UEFA Cup glory.

While Stuttgart and Basel and Roma just mope,
Let them think of the Boro, “A team with no hope!”
As we get under way in a cauldron of noise,
We must now show great passion, commitment and poise.

After West Ham our spirits do need to be lifted,
But we do have the stars, who are wonderfully gifted,
Amongst others we see the return of ‘The Dook,’
Who will fight Boro’s cause as we did at Tobruk.

But the game didn’t start as laid down in the script,
The visitors scored early and our fans’ faces slipped,
We now need to score three without further reply,
And the most fervent fans think its really ‘goodbye.’

Then Steaua scored again: what a total disaster!
Massive problems for McClaren, the Boro’s ringmaster,
Of Eindhoven now we can surely just dream,
Or can ‘The Boss’ once more raise Boro’s self-esteem?

But Boro can be dangerous when they’re trapped on the ropes,
And Maccarone, again, managed to raise all our hopes,
The fans thought of Basel and, wouldn’t it be nice,
If we prove it is possible for lightning to strike twice?

Then, on Steaua’s bench faces grew even redder,
As Viduka then scored with a powerful header,
The big Aussie proved that he’s truly ‘Fair Dinkum,’
And certainly worthy of his generous income.

This recovery is down to great spirit, not luck,
And the visitors, to a man, are now all thunderstruck,
Before us a wonderfully rich tapestry’s been woven,
And thoughts are now wandering, overseas, to Eindhoven.

Riggott then scored: Steaua wobbled and rocked,
Boro’s door to the Final was almost unlocked,
We needed one more goal, without a reply,
But, who’d be the apple in everyone’s eye?

Finally, the visitors’ evening turned sour,
When Boro drove a stake through the very heart of Steaua,
I was biting my nails as I tried to stay calm,
To convince myself that there’s no cause for alarm.

I was in a right state: I profusely perspired,
Convincing myself ‘twas just patience required,
Exhorting the ref. that, “Time’s up, and you know it!
For God’s sake get the whistle in your mouth and just blow it.”

Relentlessly we’d hunted the Steaua team down,
We did almost sink but refused then to drown,
Can you imagine the pleasure each Boro fan derives,
After handing to Steaua the shock of their lives?

We’d seen English football displayed at its best,
And pushed aside the Champions of old Bucharest,
Basel was great but this was much better,
Perhaps McClaren’s ‘enemies’ will forget their vendetta.

We had ‘battered’ a good side into humbling submission,
And I feel Steve McClaren deserves recognition,
He’s got us now known as ‘The Great Comeback Kings’,
With all the rewards that such success brings.

Yes, we did it the hard way, with great pride and passion,
Leaving Steaua’s fans visibly numbed and so ashen,
We had reached the true pinnacle: it was really so good,
It could not have been scripted in old Hollywood.

I’m just totally drained: I am one nervous wreck,
Boro have come so far on this long, long trek,
It was brilliant; historical; hysterical; unbelievable,
To come back from the dead was almost inconceivable.

Three cheers for Maccarone, whose recent total’s now three,
Surely it’s agreed now he’s repaid his huge fee,
To pop up with late winners against Basel and Steaua,
I think he might agree this is Boro’s finest hour.

His goals, late in each game, had proven the killer,
To set up the Final against Spaniards, Seville,
Yes, it’s Massimo, the hero, Boro fans’ favourite flavour,
Get ready for the Final: a match we shall savour.

Not bad for a small town, given absolutely no hope,
By many, described as a ‘Small Town In Europe,’
We’ve now proven we’re worth a big feather in our cap,
And we’ve planted Boro flags on the footballing map.

Spare a thought for Steve Gibson, who has watched his team bloom,
Inside just twenty years he’s turned ‘bust’ into boom,
Now let us pray that Seville don’t burst Boro’s bubble,
And, wouldn’t it be great to see a Boro/Arsenal double?

On this wonderful night for the whole of Teesside,
Thanks to everyone involved in this show of Tees Pride,
Never, for a moment, did I have the slightest doubt, ***
That Boro’d be victorious: now I’m totally zonked out.

*** NB I occasionally tell porkies.

George Kirby (28-04-2006)