In his bid to win the £10,000 job as football's first Chants Laureate, Alan Rawlings picked the Lord's Prayer as his model and penned a song almost as heartfelt as any ever offered to heaven.

"Our Boro, which art in heaven/hallowed be thy name," it begins. "Other teams will come/They will be outdone, on the turf by our mighty 11 ... Lead us not into relegation/but deliver us a title./For ours is the Carling ... "

The competition to become the sport's first bard attracted 1,500 entries. Mr Rawling's anthem - written in the home stands of Middlesbrough - yesterday made it into the final 30.

The winner will be chosen next month. The head judge, the poet laureate, Andrew Motion, praised the "large and enthusiastic response".

Liverpool supporters sent in 415 chants, Manchester United 122, and Arsenal 121.

Perhaps the most sophisticated entry of all was Graham Shaw's paean to Newcastle United to the tune of the Beatles' Eleanor Rigby:

"Jonathan Woodgate sits at the midst of Sir Bobby's United back four/ Closing the door/ On visiting strikers/ Surely Sir Bobby can't ask Woody for any more/ Than total commitment/ All you visiting strikers where do you go from here?/ It doesn't really matter 'cause Woody will appear."