Corby Town have been members of the Southern League since 1958, apart from four seasons in the National League North and two terms as members of the Northern Premier League.
Originally in the United Counties League and then the Midland League, the Steelmen have been up and down the divisions since being in the Southern League, although have only had the winners flag flying at their ground as Premier Division champions twice, in 2008/09 and 2014/15.
They were the only `new town` in senior non-League football until the advent of Crawley and Stevenage and have had some outstanding names wear the white and black over the years.
Locally renowned for producing a plethora of young talent, relatively few played for their home town club, apart from perhaps future Arsenal, Crystal Palace and Republic of Ireland international Eddie McGoldrick
Corby`s first manager in 1948 was former England outside left Reg Smith.
Smith won two caps for England just before 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 to briefly become player-manager of United Counties League Corby but left after only a few months due to family reasons.
I covered Corby`s managers and history in more detail in January, which you can see by clicking here: Click to visit Southern League web site
Corby have been blessed with having some quality goalkeepers over the years and
Walters (pictured) hailed from suburban Tyneside and joined Hull City in 1970 as a teenager after serving his apprenticeship with Middlesbrough.
He played a support role for three seasons to Ian McKechnie and Jeff Wealands, making only 2 appearances in the first team.
After a loan spell at Darlington in 1972, Walters left the Tigers in 1973 and signed for Corby.
Walters enjoyed five--plus years with the Steelmen, playing under Ken Burton, Mick Blick, John Mackin and John Loughlan before signing for Bedford Town in September 1978 for £1,000 with, ironically, his last game for Corby being against his new club.
He went on to make 83 appearances for the Eagles but refused terms at the end of the 1979/80 season and moved to Kettering Town later that summer to play in the new Alliance Premier League.
Injuries were causing Walters problems, although he did manage 38 games for the Poppies.
He signed for rivals Scarborough in 1981 but it was with Boro that injury restricted him to 24 games before he called it a day at the age of 31.
There were plenty of Corby-born players who represented their local team in the Southern League, including Mark Wood, who progressed from the Steelmen`s youth side to the first team in December 1994.
Despite the defender having to endure a constant turnover of managers, he was named player of the year for 1996/97 and was a senior player for several seasons but only played local football in the United Counties League after leaving Corby.
Goalkeeper Des Elliott is another to have come through Corby`s ranks to play regularly for the first team in the late 1980s.
He went on to enjoy a lengthy career which included several returns to Corby interspersed by spells with local United Counties League sides like Stewarts & Lloyds and Desborough Town.
Another goalkeeper, Chris Mackenzie joined Corby as a teenager from UCL Division One side Higham Town in the summer of 1990.
He had to wait his first-team chance with the Steelmen but once he established himself in the 1992/93 season, he immediately attracted the attention of Football League scouts.
He trialled with Derby County in the summer of 1993 and after totalling 47 games for Corby, he was sold to Third Division Hereford United, signed by former Norwich City left-back Greg Downs, initially as back-up to the established keeper Tony Pennock.
However, Mackenzie (pictured) was to feature in a Bulls shirt very swiftly as Pennock was sent-off in United’s 1,000th league match at Scarborough on August 30th.
Downs resigned as manager with John Layton taking over as caretaker boss and Mackenzie lost his place in the side as Layton first brought in Jon Sheffield on-loan from Cambridge United, and then reverted to Pennock.
However, all was to change after a 7-1 defeat at Mansfield Town on Boxing Day.
Pennock was promptly dropped, and Mackenzie helped the Bulls bounce back with a 3-0 home success over Exeter City a day after the Mansfield debacle – this the first of nine clean sheets chalked up by the Hereford `keeper during the remainder of the season.
His efforts were recognised by the fans at the end of the 1994/95 campaign as he picked up the player of the year award.
The following season he also scored his one career goal against Barnet on the opening day of the 1995/96 season!
Mackenzie was also part of the Hereford side that reached the quarter-finals of the Auto Windscreens Shield after beating Torquay, Swansea and Peterborough en-route to a clash with Birmingham City at St Andrews.
Mackenzie, Dean Smith and Andy Reece defended well but two late goals saw City running out 3-1 winners in front of an excellent crowd of 22,352.
However, it was the 1995/96 season that was to prove to be the best Bulls fans saw of Mackenzie in a Hereford shirt. The Bulls defence became one of the best in the division, with Mackenzie helping the Bulls record 18 clean sheets from their 46 league games.
Mackenzie left Hereford in the summer of 1997 to join Leyton Orient but after only 26 appearances linked up with Nuneaton Borough in the Conference.
He he enjoyed four successful seasons with Boro, chalking up over 150 games, prior to a move to Telford United in 2003.
Hereford brought him back to Edgar Street in April 2004 after Matt Baker’s deputy Ben Scott broke a thumb, but he was not needed during a month’s loan spell.
After returning to Telford for a few weeks at the end of the campaign he was offered terms by Chester City and a return to the Football League.
Two years later came another move, this time under a Bosman ruling, linking up with Shrewsbury Town.
He helped Shrewsbury reach Wembley where he lined up at the age of 35 against Bristol Rovers in a 3-1 League Two play-off defeat.
In a long-standing career Mackenzie went on to feature for Kidderminster Harriers, Hinckley United, Alfreton Town and back where it all started for him - Corby before finally hanging up his gloves in February 2012, becoming the oldest player ever to pull on a Corby shirt.
Striker David Hofbauer is another Corby-born player who came through the Steelmen`s ranks.
Like Eddie McGoldrick, who has been covered in this website in previous features, Hofbauer left Corby as a teenager to join close neighbours Kettering Town in the early days of the Alliance Premier League.
He made quite a number of appearances for the Poppies before returning to the Steelmen in 1984 for a modest £500 fee.
He repaid that ten times over by being the club`s record goalscorer with 159 until leaving in 1995 to play locally for UCL sides such as S&L and was rewarded by Corby with a joint benefit match with Elwyn Roberts against Oxford United in 1993.
The club`s record appearance holder is another Corby boy, Derek Walker with 601.
In January 1981, Walker became Graham Carr`s first signing as manager of Alliance Premier League side Nuneaton Borough.
Carr had to pay £4,000 to obtain the attacking midfielder`s services and he was swiftly followed by former Occupation Road team-mate Trevor Morley for a then club-record fee of £7,700.
However, within a year, Walker was back with Corby for £2,500 having been unsettled at Nuneaton for some time, as he was unable to produce consistent form and was the target of barracking from the Manor Park crowd.
He did leave Corby again to join Southern Midland Division neighbours Wellingborough Town in 1986, but returned again in 1987 to see out the majority of the rest of his playing days with Corby, although he did finish off, as many former Steelmen did, in the UCL with Desborough Town and S&L.
Another local striker to have enjoyed a lengthy career in non-League football was Shaun Diver.
He had come through the youth ranks at Corby and then played for then-UCL side Cottingham and Kettering Town.
He turned out for neighbours Rothwell Town before returning to Corby to earn the distinction of scoring the first-ever goal at the Rockingham Triangle Stadium in August 1985 in a 7-1 win over Mile Oak Rovers.
In the summer of 1993, he moved down the county to join the recently formed Rushden & Diamonds in the Southern Midland Division.
In 14 appearances, he only made two league starts before being consigned to the reserves for the rest of the season.
He was released the following summer and joined Southern Midland Division neighbours Nuneaton Borough in September 1994.
At the time Nuneaton were managed by former Corby boss Elwyn Roberts and several of Diver`s ex-Steelmen team-mates such as Graeme Archer, Calvin Plummer and Andy McGowan had been taken to Manor Park.
But just weeks before the end of the 1994/95 season, Diver re-joined one of his former clubs, Rothwell Town, having scored 5 goals in 18 appearances for Boro.
He went on to play for a few clubs in the United Counties League, including Stewart & Lloyds in 2000/01 and Desborough Town and retired in 2007.
Nottingham-born Plummer notched up more than 200 League appearances in a ten-year professional career with Nottingham Forest, Chesterfield, Derby County, Barnsley and Plymouth Argyle.
Plummer (pictured)also caused controversy in 1982, when he agreed to play on an unofficial tour of South Africa.
The tour, organised by Jimmy Hill and sponsored by South African Breweries, was largely made up of players heading towards the end of their careers.
Plummer's presence as the only younger player, as well as the only black player in the initial squad, gave rise to accusations of tokenism.
The tour itself was both a footballing and public relations disaster and caused great damage to Plummer's career.
Brian Clough, his Nottingham Forest manager at the time, was publicly critical of Plummer's naivety and relations did sour between them.
After playing in Finland for Reipas Lahden, he went into non-League football with Northern Premier League Gainsborough Trinity.
He played for Shepshed Charterhouse before signing for Corby in 1993.
Just over a year later, Elwyn Roberts took him to Nuneaton with a handful of other former Steelmen.
Plummer continued on his travels to Birstall United, Grantham Town, Arnold Town, Shepshed Dynamo and Kirby Muxloe.
He was later manager of Bilborough in the Central Midlands League and joint manager of Arnold before taking becoming assistant manager at Gedling Miners Welfare.
Andy McGowan was a tigerish midfielder who was a member of Stamford`s 1980 FA Vase winning team against Guisborough Town at Wembley.
Another Corby boy, he had a couple of spells with the Steelmen at either end of his career, having initially left for Northampton Town, where he helped them to promotion from Division Four in 1976.
He also played for Kettering Town in the Conference under David Needham and Irthlingborough Diamonds and helped Elwyn Roberts at Nuneaton Borough after injury ended his career.
He very sadly died in May 1999, aged just 42, after he stopped breathing during a routine leg operation.
Another striker of distinction to have played for the Steelmen – and Nuneaton Borough – was Martyn Twigger.
Twigger started out with then-Northern Counties East League side Arnold Town and then Southern Premier Division sides King`s Lynn and Shepshed Charterhouse before signing for another, Corby, in 1986.
He topped the scoring charts in 86/87 and again in 88/89 before being signed by Les Green for Nuneaton Borough in the 1989/90 season.
He soon established himself as one of the league’s sharpest strikers.
He was voted Boro`s player of the year for 1989/90 and 1991/92 and equalled the all-time scoring record by scoring in 13 consecutive league games.
In March 1993, Twigger reached the milestone of 100 goals for Nuneaton in the 59th minute of a Southern Midland Division home game against Bilston.
In September 1992, former Nuneaton man Brendan Phillips ended a four-month chase for Twigger by signing him for rivals Bedworth United.
Remarkably, the Greenbacks captured the 31-year-old without paying a penny as he was not under contract with Boro.
Corby`s record sale remains the £20,000 they received for Matt Murphy from Oxford United in 1993.
Before signing for the Steelmen in 1991, he had spells with United Counties League sides Long Buckby, Cogenhoe United, Irthlingborough Diamonds.
After attracting hordes of scouts to Corby, it was Oxford who won the race for him and he helped them to win promotion to Division One in 1995/96.
He went on to make over 250 appearances for Oxford and score more than 50 goals before moving to Bury in August 2001.
He was re-united with former Oxford team-mate Nick Cusack, who was now player-manager at Swansea City, in July 2002 and netted 3 goals in 12 Third Division games prior to briefly joining Kettering Town in July 2003.
After the Poppies were relegated, curiously to the Isthmian Premier in 2003/04, Murphy (pictured) signed for Southern League King`s Lynn.
He moved on to Ford Sports and then Slough Town, where he scored 25 goals in 41 games in the Isthmian League.
He then re-united with former Oxford team-mate Mike Ford at Brackley Town in June 2005.
Short spells with Banbury United, Spalding United, Wellingborough Town and Sileby Rangers followed.
Then in February 2009 he was appointed player/assistant manager of United Counties League side Daventry Town.
Inside forward Neil Burns spent over eight years as a Steelman.
Born in Bellshill, Scotland, his career started with Airdrie and then briefly Crewe Alexandra.
In 1964 he signed for Welsh League side Bethesda Athletic before being signed by Fourth Division Mansfield Town in November 1965.
He spent a couple of seasons at Field Mill without becoming a regular, making just 7 appearances in his first season and 3 in his second before being released.
In the summer of 1967, he was signed for Corby by new manager Eric Caldow, the former Rangers and Scotland international, joining at the same time as Dixie McNeil.
Burns went on to be a regular fixture at Occupation Road under several managers in the Southern First Division until 1975.
He went on to serve local United Counties League neighbours Rushden Town, Desborough Town and Rothwell Town before making a surprise comeback to Corby in 1981, brought back by manager Gordon Livsey.
He finished off his playing days with another local UCL side, Cottingham, where he played until almost 40.
Tony Loughlan`s spell with Corby spanned a couple of seasons between 1996 and 1998.
He was a talented striker or midfielder who started his career in the Southern League with Leicester United before being taken on by Brian Clough at Nottingham Forest in 1989.
He made just 2 senior appearances for Forest, scoring on debut after just 36 seconds, in three seasons before being released in the summer of 1993.
He joined Conference side Kettering Town where his father John had played during the 1970s, but by the October, Lincoln City signed him and he made a dozen appearances for the Imps, scoring 2 goals.
Injuries affected his career and after leaving Lincoln he had a year in Ireland with Dundalk and a short spell with Wycombe Wanderers.
He made a comeback from injury with Southern Midland Division side Hinckley Town before signing for Corby in December 1996.
Injury forced him to call it a day as a player at the age of 28 but he went into coaching and was academy coach at Leicester City, then former Forest team-mate Roy Keane took him to Sunderland as head coach and he re-joined him again as assistant manager this time at Ipswich Town.
In 2011 he teamed up with another ex-Forest team-mate, Sean Dyche, and followed him to Burnley, where he remains alongside yet another former Forest favourite, Ian Woan.
I have covered some of Corby`s former international players, such as Johnny Morris, Eric Caldow, Mark Lawrenson, Hugh Curran, Henry Cockburn and John Robertson in previous features on this site.
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