Taking a Closer Look at…..Corby Town

A series taking a closer look at current Southern League club`s past seasons.

Corby Town, or the Steelmen as they are better known, have been members of the Southern League for around 56 years after joining the Southern League North Western zone in 1958/59 after finishing runners-up in the old Midland League.

Since 1935 the former rural village of Corby had been represented in the United Counties League by steelworks side Stewarts & Lloyds - hence the club's nickname of the Steelmen.

But by the end of the 1947/48 season, it was decided that the new town of Corby had grown sufficiently enough to support an independent football club and Corby Town was born.

Local MP William Mongomery was elected chairman - a position he had previously held with S&L - and former England player Reg Smith was appointed player-manager.

Like many players of his era, Smith, an outside left, lost a good deal of his playing career to the Second World War.

He began his career playing with Hitchin Town in the Spartan League and signed amateur forms with Tottenham Hotspur in 1932.

He also represented Hertfordshire FA, as well as the Spartan League.

He joined Millwall as a professional in August 1935 and made 117 appearances, scoring 21 goals.

After being stationed at RAF Leuchers during WW2, Smith guested for and eventually joined Dundee in March 1946, returning south briefly with Corby, then in the United Counties League in June 1948 until the end of the year.

He returned to Scotland to manage Dundee United and Falkirk before being appointed manager of Millwall in 1959.

Later, in November 1961, Smith was appointed as the new man in charge of Southern League Premier Division side Bedford Town.

Corby played its first game against Northamptonshire neighbours Wellingborough Town at Occupation Road - home until 1985 - on Saturday, August 21, 1948 and began with an impressive 5-1 victory in front of a crowd of 2,300.

Smith departed just a few months into that first season for family reasons, however, and results were generally disappointing until senior player Wally Akers was given the manager's job in the summer of 1950.

The United Counties League championship was then won in style in both 1950/51 and 1951/52 by a side skippered from centre-half by the imposing Scot Jimmy Strathie and with ace goalscorer Ernie Middlemiss setting a club goalscoring record of 135 in 136 games which was to last for more than 40 years until being broken by David Hofbauer.

Those successes prompted a step up the Midland League in 1952 and in their first season Corby were pipped to the championship by Nottingham Forest`s reserve side in a last game decider.

The Steelmen spent the next five seasons in the Midland League and although they were never able to match that initial success, they did have their moments.

In 1954/55 they reached the First Round of the FA Cup for the first time, losing 2-0 at home to Watford before a crowd of 6,763.

The following season two products of the club's youth system - Andy McCabe and Len Chalmers - were transferred to Chesterfield and Leicester City respectively for fees totalling almost £2,000.

And in 1956/57 Corby won their home league encounter Gainsborough Trinity (who turned up without a recognised goalkeeper) by a club record score of 14-0!

The year of 1958 was a momentous one for the club. In February floodlit football came to Corby when an All-Star XI took on the Steelmen in the inaugural game under lights and in March it was announced that the club was leaving the Midland League in favour of the Southern League.

In May it was revealed that former Manchester United, Derby County, Leicester City and England inside forward Johnny Morris (right) was taking over as player-manager.

During his three years in charge Morris brought a number of well-known former Football League players - including his former Manchester United and England colleague Henry Cockburn - to Occupation Road. But this policy almost bankrupted the club and at the end of 1960/61 he was informed that he was not having his contract renewed for financial reasons.

Morris was succeeded by ex-Corby player Tommy Hadden and under his clever management and astute chairmanship of Fred Deeley, things improved both on and off the pitch.

Promotion to the Premier Division was narrowly missed in 1963/64 - when the capture of the Merit Cup as the Southern League's highest-scoring team was some consolation - but the following year they did achieve promotion to the top-flight.

During this period the club made several applications for Football League membership and in 1966 actually picked up one vote!

In 1963/64 Corby were knocked out of the FA Cup in the First Round by Bristol City (pictured) and the following season they were defeated at the same stage by Hartlepool United.

In 1965/66 the Steelmen overcame that hurdle at home to fellow non-Leaguers Burton Albion and in the Second Round faced Luton Town at Occupation Road.

Hopes of an upset appeared to have been dashed when Luton earned a 2-2 draw with a late disputed penalty but, on the most glorious night in a club's history, a goal by local boy Maurice Goodall gave Corby victory over the Hatters at Kenilworth Road in the replay.

In the Third Round a trip to Plymouth Argyle resulted in a 6-0 thrashing.

Corby were relegated from the Southern Premier Division in 1968 and remained in various forms of Division One until earning a place in the new-look Premier Division in 1982.

The Steelmen were relegated again in 1990 - by which time they had moved to a new home at the multi-purpose Rockingham Triangle sports complex - but bounced back after just one season as Midland Division runners-up and Merit Cup winners.

In 1992/93, under the management of Elwyn Roberts and with an experienced side which included Irish international Gerry McElhinney, former European Cup winner Bryn Gunn, who was actually a local lad, and ex-Kettering Town favourites Steve Collins and skipper Dougie Keast, they finished third in the Premier Division but just two seasons later following a cash crisis which had threatened the club's very existence and they were relegated.

It appeared that the battle had been lost at the end of 1997/98, but Corby were handed a late reprieve and switched to the Southern Division for the first time.

The 2000/01 season saw Corby finish in a respectable mid-table position, but they struggled in their next season, and only managed to hold onto their Southern League status by the skin of their teeth.

Following the departure of player-manager Eddie McGoldrick, the Corby-born former Arsenal, Crystal Palace and Republic of Ireland international, senior player Wayne Spencer took over as manager and on a very dramatic last day of the season, bottom of the table Corby, gained an unexpected home win over Eastbourne Borough to leap-frog Wisbech Town and condemn the Fenmen to relegation from Division One East.

After a good start to the 2002/03 season things went downhill and a run of 21 games without a win left the club precariously placed.

Following the arrival of former Nottingham Forest player Lee Glover as manager, Corby lost only three of their last fifteen matches, followed by a season of consolidation in 2003/04.

Despite Glover joining Grantham Town, the Steelmen had an even better season in 2004/05, with new manager, local man Rob Dunion, at the helm, just missing out on a play-off place.

Corby did manage promotion under Dunion a year later, despite for the first time in their history playing some of their home games outside the town at the start of the 2005/06 season.

Work on their Rockingham Triangle stadium meant that the Steelmen played their opening games at Kettering Town's Rockingham Road ground.

The club`s return to the Southern League Premier Division after an eleven-year absence was achieved by finishing below Boreham Wood on goal difference at the top of the league.

Following a tough year back in the Premier Division that saw the departure of both Dunion and his successor Dougie Keast, the club was saved from relegation by Farnborough Town's demise from the Conference South.

Season 2007/08 looked really positive for the Steelmen, with a new Board led by ex-Kettering Town chairman Peter Mallinger. However, the side assembled by former Derby and Northern Ireland international Kevin Wilson vastly underachieved and following his sacking by the club and an influx of new players by new manager Graham Drury, the Steelmen avoided relegation with just one week of the season remaining.

In 2008/09 - his first full season in charge – Drury (left) led the club to the Southern Premier Division title, following a number of new signings and complete team restructuring.

This meant promotion to the Conference North. This was achieved in April 2009 when Corby beat Banbury United 5-0 at the Rockingham Triangle in front of a crowd of 1,990 which is a record to date.

Corby enjoyed four seasons in the Conference North, with the first campaign (2009/10) being their most successful as they finished sixth, agonisingly just a point from being in the end-of-season play-offs.

In 2010/11 the Steelmen reached the First Round of the FA Cup for the first time since the 1960s, losing 4–2 to Luton Town in a replay.

They appeared in the First Round again the following season, losing 3–1 at Bristol Rovers.

Corby were relegated at the end of the 2012/13 season. They were Southern League Premier Division champions again in 2014–15 and were promoted back to the renamed National League North.

However, another relegation in 2015/16 saw the club relegated and, due to the geography of the clubs coming down, were forced to play in the Premier Division of the Northern Premier League.

The club were transferred to Division One East of the Southern League at the end of the 2017/18 season as part of the re-structuring of the non-League Pyramid and the following season saw the club transferred to Division One Central – the league they currently play in.

Since relegation from the Conference and the subsequent departure of Graham Drury, the Steelmen have had a steady flow of men occupying the managerial hot-seat at Steel Park, including Chris Plummer, Tommy Wright twice, Gary Mills – the former Rushden & Diamonds midfielder – David Bell, Steve Kinniburgh, Gary Mulligan, Mark Peters and Gary Mills, the ex-Nottingham Forest European Cup winner and the current man in charge.

(Thanks to Corby Town FC for a lot of the above information).

Corby Town Web Site