Part 6. The End of the World’ - not the U.S. Soviet contretemps - Peter Kearns leaving!

‘The End of the World’ - not the U.S. Soviet contretemps - Peter Kearns leaving!

The Steelmen had been making steady if not slow progress since they entered the Southern League in 1958. Could the trend continue and promotion to the Premier Division be achieved in the 62/63 season? This was Tommy Hadden’s first full season in charge and he had already shown a ruthless streak by saying goodbye to ten players from the last campaign. The search for new players began with the aid of a publication that all football fans waited for every summer. The News of the World Annual. Not only did it have the forthcoming fixtures but also all the stats you needed about players, their appearances, goals, if they had been released, where they were born, a real almanac for football fans, and football managers alike. Tommy Hadden told me he regarded it as his Bible. So, in the beginning…after the Exodus of so many players…he signed goalkeeper Alan Alexander from Bradford Park Avenue. Full back Scott McLuckie was poached from Albion Rovers, John Richards, a premature grey haired fellow was signed from Aldershot. He looked older than what he was, I remember thinking he looked like my granddad in a football kit. He was faster than that though, even if he wasn’t easy on the eye. Another signing was a wee fellow with an appropriate name, David Short. Snapped up on his release from Bedford, Davie must have only been about four feet tall! He played on the wing, was a bit of a whippet and Hadden obviously thought the little guy would prove to be an asset as he slipped between defender’s legs.

Whilst Tommy was flitting around the country looking for players, the Occupation Road ground was being given a facelift with a new roof on the Westfields Road grandstand, the surrounds of the pitch given a lick of paint in club colours, the centre of the pitch dug up for new drainage, new turf laid and last but not least, a new brick built tea kiosk to replace the old wooden shed at the Occy Road end of the ground. And in case Maw Broon was looking on in envy from the kiosk that was her domain in the stand, this too was given a makeover. Not that we noticed much. When she opened the shutters, clouds of steam would still belch out and envelop you. Don’t know what the renovation was, maybe they had a new tea urn or something. The cost of the whole revamp was £1760, ‘paid for by supporters, officials and directors, including 21/- from Gateman Tommy Edwards.’ who if I remember right, was the miserable chap who commandeered the gate at the top end of the ground, and scowled at all of us youngsters who he thought were trying to sneak in. We avoided him best we could. To be honest this was all part of the fun. Climbing up the Poplar trees at the Welfare End to scramble over the wall, crawling through hedgerows behind the Westfields Road stand, sneaking through gardens and climbing over garden fences at the Occy Road end. And trying to steer clear of the eagle eyed Tommy!  

Excitement was gripping us lads in the street. A group of us set about making banners for the coming season. Wood, nails, tins of paint were sought out from sheds or the back of shops. We painted slogans on the banners, ‘C’mon the Steelmen’, ‘The Steelmen For Me!’ The day of the opening game against Barry Town, we trudged off, six of us, carrying these wooden banners, noisy rattles, a hooter, all the way down Occupation Road like a band of CND marchers. Women looked out of windows to see what the racket was. It wasn’t ‘Ban the Bomb’ or “Get out of Vietnam!’ we were hollering, it was ‘Up the Steelmen!’

By the time we were settled on the half way line, perched on the perimeter pipe, we were knackered! Our enthusiasm drained. Great fun it had been, but at the end of the match, which Corby won 2-1, we dumped the banners. We couldn’t be arsed carrying the things home again! 

The Corby 'Ultras'.

The season was off and running again. Sittingbourne away was the next match and a rude awakening and bruising encounter it was. Jimmy Kelly was sent off for retaliation, Scott McLuckie was stretchered off with a head injury and we were down to nine men, holding our own despite the handicap, and then Alan Alexander was fouled as he attempted a save in the last minute, the referee turned a blind eye, the goal stood and the Kent boys had won it 2-1.

The Steelmen dressing room looked like a casualty ward. 

Niggles and aches would cause an early season selection crisis which wasn’t helped when wee Davie Short was stung on the back of his knee by a wasp! You couldn’t make it up. Could have been the reason why the Steelmen struggled to gain some rhythm in the early matches but they still managed to negotiate their way through the early rounds of the F.A.Cup though manager Hadden was clearly unhappy about things. Despite defeating St Neots 1-0 he described the game as pathetic. Tommy might have been losing some sleep over the football but worldwide there was a crisis brewing that threatened to to make everyone lose some sleep. The Cold War was being ramped up with the Cuban Missile Crisis after the Soviet Union had sent warships carrying their cargo of nuclear warheads towards Cuba. The world was on the brink of Armegeddon. U. S. President Kennedy and Soviet Premier Kruschev were playing a game of poker with the survival of the planet at stake. The world held its breath as they negotiated a way out of the crisis. The fears were real. The tension great. Even as a 12 year old I can remember the worry that this was going to be our last day on earth. Fears not eased with a huge hit by country star Skeeter Davis being played relentlessly on the airwaves. ‘The End of the World’. Was that coincidence or exploitation to get a hit? Sounds dramatic and a tad over the top but whatever, you had to be there. 

When Kennedy and Kruschev sorted things out we got our heads down again at school. Not that I was an academic by any stretch, I was more interested in getting into the school football team to be honest. Charlie Kluk was holding trials and so I asked him if I could turn up. “What position do you play Smeez?” I told him, thinking that not many would claim they wanted to be a defender, that right back was my preference. The trial at the Studfall Infants School ground, where the Boys School played their games, went well, Charlie picked me for the first game at the Our Ladys School, and I played in every game we had that year! Not at right back though I hasten to add. I’d made a balls up in the last minute of that game when we were drawing 2-2 and tried to dribble the ball out of the area after our keeper Robert ‘Nick’ Nicol was left stranded. My mucker Danny Coyle took the ball off me and scored! Couldn’t believe it! And I’ve never forgotten to call him ever since. Anyway Charlie moved me into the inside left position, I scored a couple against Hazel Leys in a 5-2 win, then a few more against the Grammar School, 10-3 that was against the rugby minded lot and a few more against other schools. In the team were future Corby heroes Gordon Hall and John Fyfe and future Corby Club Shop star, my old pal John ‘Wilf’ Wilson. 

Anyway, away from all that, Jimmy Kelly had meantime left for pastures new at Wisbech with the Fenmen’s Tommy Huckstepp coming the other way. Tommy was a barnstorming centre forward, whatever that was meant to be. Never have heard of anyone storming a barn but that was the term they used. Memory does have him as more of a wrecking ball but I guess he complemented Tommy Crawley who picked up the pieces. Larry Wealthall remembers Tommy Huckstepp's arrival. "His first game was in the reserves, and the shorts were all in a heap, first come first served basis. Tommy was left with the baggiest shorts. 'F--- me!' he said in his cockney accent. I know there's a lot of Jocks at the club but I didn't know we played in kilts!'"


David Short had been released at his own request, never quite got over being stung by that pesky wasp! Two significant moves occurred prior to Christmas. One was Peter Kearns, the popular inside forward inevitably leaving and signing for league club Aldershot, just a few weeks after he’d scored four goals in an 8-0 demolition of Tunbridge Wells and had signed off with a brace in a 3-0 win at Burton Albion on Boxing Day which brings back fond memories for winger Gordon Anderson. "I vaguely remember a bottle of whiskey kindly supplied at half time by Burton which was happily devoured with our tea. Can't remember the half time score  but I think the drink worked the opposite way Burton thought it might!"
There were a lot of sad faces around when it was announced but Hadden had already lined up a replacement and in came a guy who would become over ther next decade, a Steelmen legend. Alex Stenhouse from Bedford. Alex had one of the fiercest shots in football. Forget Bobby Charlton, Peter Lorimer. When Alex lined up a shot, you could feel the excitement and intake of breath. BANG! Wilf in the Club Shop was such a fan of Alex he would be shouting 'SHOOT!' as soon as he appeared out of the players tunnel.

'Hot shot' Alex Stenhouse 

Everyone will associate the Cold War with the relations between east and west in those early years of the 60s but in the winter of 62/63 there was another Cold War to contend with. The freezing and horrendous weather that consumed the country. Snow began on Boxing day and never let up until three moths later. The country was at a standstill. Only a handful of football matches were played. A Pools Panel of former professional players and a referee was set up to help the millions of punters who placed their bets on the football matches every weekend. Unfortunately the cold weather didn’t prevent us from going to school! On the upside though, you could make slides a 100 yards long on the paths and have fun crashing into each other and garden hedges. Old people whinged about it and threw buckets of salt over the slides to spoil the fun but we just made another one! Best fun of all was standing in the Boys School playground on the corner of Pen Green Lane and James Watt Avenue with all the other kids and cheering and laughing at everyone coming off their bikes as they tried to round the corner. Especially the teachers. There weren’t many had cars those days. If they did they were old bangers. The favourite was a loathsome teacher called Parker, if he fell off his bike he got the biggest cheer of the lot. His idea of punishment was standing on one leg with arms outstretched for half an hour. If you began to wilt he’d be there with his cane. Dispicable bloke. 

As we headed into 1963 shivering, coal fires and paraffin heaters going into overdrive, a lighter note came with the emergence of a Liverpool band that came to have a seismic effect on the music world and life in general. The Beatles! Suddenly the austerity and dullness of the post war years were canned with the Beatles in the vanguard of a revolution. When we got back to football and the weather had released its hold on the country, the Merseybeat sounds of the Beatles, Gerry and the Pacemakers, Billy J.Kramer and co were on the play list for the Occupation Road pre-match entertainment, a breath of fresh air from the Frank Ifields, Anne Sheltons, The Temperance Seven. At last the 60s were beginning to swing!

Hardest working man at the club had to be groundsman Fred Loak who had the unenviable task of clearing the snow at Occupation Road but finally the Steelmen were back on the road, away to Cheltenham to give Alex Stenhouse his debut. He scored too, in a 3-2 defeat. Don’t know if he bust the net but he scored nonetheless. 

By all accounts the Cheltenham fans weren’t too enamoured with Corby’s performance, described as robust to say the least. Cheltenham suffered a few injuries but it was Corby’s first game for months so you can put it down to being a bit rusty I suppose. They still won 3-2 anyway!

Steelmen on their way to Kent. Goalscorer Tommy Crawley behind the wheel. "We had to haul him out of the seat, he wanted to drive the bus!' - Gordon Anderson

It took a while to get going again, and it was a couple of trips to Kent that saw us back on the winning trail. 3-2 at Tonbridge and 4-1 at Tunbridge. Then a week later we drew 3-3 with Tonbridge in the return league fixture and then stuffed Margate 6-2, which was an unusual 4pm kick off due to the clash of the Grand National on television. 971 still showed up. Those who preferred to stay at home saw Ayala at 66/1 win the race. Happy days. For those who had a couple of quid on it! 

Interestingly, for those historians amongst us, the day after the Tonbridge 3-3 game was when the infamous Dr Beeching announced his plans for the destruction, reorganisation, call it what you will, of the British Rail network. Hundreds of stations were to close, including Corby’s. Devastating news felt by towns all around the country. Dr Beeching’s axe they called it.

Back on the football pitch, barnstorming Tommy and Rocket shot Alex were among the scorers against Margate as was Gordon Anderson, one of the promising young reserve players that Tommy Hadden had signed on semi professional terms. “Tommy signed me on for £6 a week plus £2 win and £1 draw in the steelworks engineering shop”, Gordon recalls, “he was the mechanical fitter who taught me my trade. As an apprentice fitter I was earning about £15 a week. Happy days. My football money paid for a new Austin 1100, £18 pounds 19 shillings and 11 pence a month!”

A significant signing the week of the Margate game, who went on to win the league, was Bobby Laverick from Coventry City. The former Everton and Brighton forward oozed class and quickly became yet another big favourite with the Occupation Road faithful. Promotion was back on the cards but the tailback of fixtures thanks to the terrible winter we had, derailed the challenge.

Many youth team players were making their mark, Larry Wealthall had tasted first team football but with the more experienced Alan Alexander joining up was now his understudy, Anderson had progressed into the first team and two others had been snapped up by league clubs. Norman Dean at Southampton and Mick Moran at Manchester United. Maurice and Mick Goodall would also go on to carve out successful careers at Corby and Kettering. 

Stars of the youth team taking a winter break on holiday in Blackpool.
Larry Wealthall, Gordon Anderson and Dave Halsey.

The promotion challenge fell at the latter stages of the campaign, similar to the previous season but there was still two games to whet the supporters appetites before the finish. First was the final of the Northants Senior Cup which truthfully speaking was of little interest until we knocked Kettering out in the semi finals to obtain a fixture, at home, against a strong Northampton Town team who had been crowned champions in the Third Division of the Football league. The Cobblers were on a remarkable journey that would take them all the way to the top division before immediately sliding all the way back down again. So, even though the Cobblers, fielding their strongest team, may have taken the game lightly, the Steelmen didn’t. And that man Stenhouse again, with a rocket shot from the wing, and I was right in line with it, sent the Corby fans into raptures when he fired us in to the lead. A David Laird goal secured a 2-0 victory and the cup, the first trophy the Steelmen had lifted for seven years. Proudly held aloft by skipper Barry Parsons in front of a crowd of 2760.

Manager Tommy Hadden "Goodbye Tommy and John!"

The second game of note was a testimonial game against Aldershot for stalwarts Barry Parsons and John Rennie with the added attraction of seeing the return of fans favourite Peter Kearns in the Shots team. 1650 turned up to witness Peter score one of their goals in a 2-1 win but the night belonged to Rennie and Parsons, two of Corby’s finest ever servants. 

The season had stretched well into May and we eventually finished up in 7th place which again was impressive, stable and it seemed that every year, under Tommy Hadden, our hopes of gaining promotion were growing a step nearer. A number of players were released including John Richards and Tommy Huckstepp who had scored 18 goals apiece. Bit of a surprise but they were into their early 30s and, according too the press, the directors deemed them too old and they were looking to sign younger players for the next campaign. 

Walkin’ Back To Happiness..

Part 5   Walkin’ Back To Happiness..

John Rennie and Peter Kearns attacking the Sittingbourne goal at Occupation Road

1961 was a big year, the year I stepped up into the ‘Big’ school, Samuel Lloyds Boys School. Having failed the ’11 Plus’ this was my destination which to be quite frank I wasn’t too displeased about. First thing I thought on hearing the result of the exam was ‘great, well at least I won’t be forced to play rugby instead of football!’ One thing bothered me though. The dread of being thrown down the ‘banks’. An initiation new inmates had to face. The ‘banks’ were grass slopes alongside the Telfords Lane side of the school. Our friend Graham Henderson had been thrown down them the year before and suffered a dislocated shoulder! The summer months were thus spent worrying about this foreboding adventure. When the day arrived, thankfully, after being hurled down the banks into the railings, I survived. 

Thinking about the Grammar School and the rugby, Alan Murphy, one of our football mad mob on Studfall Green still shudders about his first experience of chasing the egg. "We had trials at the Grammar School", Alan recalls, "an attempt to teach us the rudiments in the art of the game. I dreaded it. They put me on the wing which I thought was OK as I thought I was out of the way. Then somebody passed the ball to me. I thought 'what!', then 'help!' I looked up and saw this burly figure charging at me. I thought 'bollocks to this' and promptly threw the ball out of play. The Headmaster Mr Kemp on the touchline went bananas. 'You're a disgrace boy!' 'An embarrassment!' 'Get off" he roared. He was furious. Kemp later would leave the Grammar School to become Head of Gordonstoun School where Prince Charles was a student. Alan; "Many said it was my flagrant disregard of the rules and spirit of Rugby Union that made up his mind to leave Corby! It worked in my favour though. I wasn't asked to partake again!"

The Boys School turned out to be great for the sports minded. The sports teacher Charlie Kluk was a very amiable pleasant spoken fellow. Nice guy and fondly remembered by everyone who came across him. Word had it that Charlie was a Polish international athlete, a Pole Vaulter, who had appeared in the Olympic Games. Indeed, Larry Wealthall recalls Charlie demonstrating his pole vaulting skills 'in the new sandpit, which impressed us all'. So, a few years down the line, whether we all thought it was bullshit, or not, think everyone did believe it but whatever, Charlie was a keen sports master. Used to call me in his pidgin English, ‘Smeez’. I also remember another lad in the street, David Marrs, claiming that Charlie’s surname was Klukiawowski or something like that. “He abbreviated it to Kluk because it was easier to say” David said with conviction. You believe anything at that age!

During the 1950s the Boys school had produced many a fine football team, had a great reputation and a good few went on to play league football, including Len Chalmers, Jim Fotheringham, Andy McCabe, Dennis Martin.

Corby Boys School 1962.
Charlie Kluk back row, far right, Dennis Martin seated with ball.

The summer months were spent with great anticipation by Steelmen supporters wondering who was going to be appointed the next Corby manager. Johnny Morris had formally left on June 1st, and signed for Kettering to team up with his old Leicester pal Jack Froggatt and the Corby directors started their search for his successor. They obviously couldn’t decide or agree on who it should be as with the season just around the corner, the seat was still vacant. So it was for the opening game at Hinckley on August 19th they picked the team themselves. And afterwards must have thought ‘what was all the fuss about?’ ‘Managing football teams is a doddle!’. Corby humped Hinckley 6-2!

Who it was who signed the new players that turned up I couldn’t say but they made a good job of it. Irishman Jimmy Fisher arrived from Linfield, given digs in James Watt Avenue and a job in the ‘Works’. Gas Board worker John Harris came from Worcester City. Winger Danny Liddell came down from Scotland, he didn’t last long, don’t think he was too enamoured with the ‘job in the Works’ which was a pity. Painting gas holders for contractors Pearce’s or ‘knocking bricks out of the Blast Furnaces’ for Shank & McEwan - which was the final straw for me after an absolute shite week doing all the crappiest jobs going in the Rolling Mills, BOS Plant in 1970, but I digress - wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea! No doubt Danny thought likewise and said ‘bollocks to this’. He’d had a fantastic start to his brief Steelmen career before he went home but there you go. It’s believed he signed for Stenhousemuir in exchange for 800 notes. Peter Kearns, a diminutive inside forward described as ‘a prodigious worker’ arrived from Plymouth and as far as I know, didn’t end up in the steelworks. Peter was a carpenter who became a massive favourite. If you wanted a door fitted or a rabbit hutch built or something, Peter was your man. Centre forward Jim Kelly also arrived, from Yeovil. No idea what Jim did, maybe he was on the dole. The directors had been busy and their endeavours were rewarded with a 13 game unbeaten run, the best start to a season for many a year and the joy felt around the Occupation Road ground was tangible. Encapsulating the mood of the supporters was ‘Walkin’ Back To Happiness’ by Helen Shapiro, a huge hit at the time. Another favourite receiving plenty of airplay from the resident DJ was Jimmy Dean’s ‘Steelmen’, 

resurrected in the 2000s by match day commentator and all round good egg, Gerry Lucas.

Dean’s ‘country’ classic blasted out of the speakers attached to the floodlights  when captain Barry Parsons emerged into the daylight from the depths of the grandstand, like a gladiator, complete with cigarette out of the side of his mouth. Yes, I’m kidding there, everyone knows of Barry’s partiality to a Woodbine but I’m sure he left them behind in the dressing room before the kick off. However, it wasn’t unknown for goalkeepers to have a packet of fags in the back of the goals. Keeper Jackie Elder was famous for this back in the post war years of the 40s, lighting up and having a quick ‘drag’ when Corby were attacking at the other end of the field. It’s a true story folks. Came from the horse’s mouth. So to speak. I worked with Jackie, who was a Burner, and a right case, in the tube works in the late 60s.

Back; Smith, Rodgers, Parsons, Williams, Harris, Fisher.
Front; Liddell, Kearns, Kelly, Rennie, McCorkindale

After the blistering start at Hinckley you’d have thought the directors would have been well pleased and quite smug with their team selection but whether it was a ploy to bring the players back down to earth, or not, in the programme for the first home game against Barry Town the following week, whilst admitting it was ‘a grand start at Hinckley’, they ventured that they could do better!! 

One interesting addition to the Occupation Road ground at the start of the 61/62 season was a brand new club flag, unfurled in ceremonial fashion before the kick-off for the Barry game. ‘Presented as a gift from Mrs Bell and her lady friends’ it said in the programme. Over 1500 fans turned up for the unveiling. Quaint. Things were looking up. A week later it was announced that ‘Mr Goodall and a group of his regulars in the Corby Hotel, (The Raven)’, had presented a cheque of 100 guineas towards the Steelmen cause. 

With all this gratification and good will going around it was no wonder the vibes were escalating, mirrored by the boys on the pitch. And all with no manager! 

Goalscoring legend Peter McKay announced his retirement in October after losing his battle to return from the serious injury he had endured the season before at Poole. In a gratuitous move, the directors offered him a job in the ‘Boot Room’ as trainer to work alongside Tommy Hadden and Don Johnson. Some of his methods in training, garnered from his Dundee United and Burnley days, was recalled ruefully by goalkeeper Larry Wealthall, then a youngster waiting to get his chance in the first team; “Peter McKay used to get the wingers to cross the ball into the area, and the forwards would batter into me. It was his way of toughening you up!”

It obviously worked as by December, Larry had taken over from Les Williams to become the number one keeper!

The team that was doing so well in the first half of the season was usually; Williams; Fisher Harris; Rodgers Parsons Smith; Liddell Kearns Kelly Rennie and McCorkindale. A good run in the F.A.Cup saw the Steelmen defeat St Neots, Stamford and Bourne Town before they fell in the 4th qualifier after a replay at Worksop. Progress in the Southern League Cup included a great victory away at the so-called ‘glamour’ side Cambridge City. City were one of the top non league clubs and boasted a team put together for around £45,000! That’s what it said in the papers. Unbelievable. They included one time Everton and Liverpool centre forward Dave Hickson who had cost them 9K himself! Didn’t impress the Steelmen though, we beat them 1-0!

The reporter on duty was ecstatic; ‘Was the best performance of the season’, he wrote, ’Whilst Cityprovided the dainty football and short passed themselves to nowhere, Corby Town dished out the good old fashioned stuff. Stop em’, hold em’, and attack! Kearns scored a cracker of a goal that even the bias City supporters applauded’. Sounds like a good night. Buoyed up with this result the Steelmen looked forward to a clash with Poole Town on the Saturday, a game that was packed with incident and controversy. Jimmy Fisher was sent off in an ill tempered match for starters. Remembered by John Crawley who was a witness on the touchline; “The Poole winger had been giving Fisher stick all game and then after another clash, Jimmy Fisher picked himself up, and belted the guy right in the face! It was a cracker!”

John Crawley

My memory is of a highly charged game full of emotion, a twice taken penalty, goals disallowed, the referee having a nightmare. A Corby supporter running onto the pitch to confront the ref, we thought he was going to stiffen him. The ref did too. The supporter was escorted off, as was the ref at the final whistle by two policemen. Everyone thought he was being arrested, he should have been! The game ended 3-3, a crescendo of abuse hailing out from the terraces. Eventful to say the least.

In October, the directors relinquished their selection duties, probably bored with it once the novelty had worn off and trainer Tommy Hadden was duly promoted. ‘Tough talking Tommy’ the Press dubbed him following his opening gambit, “I will demand 100% effort from everyone, all of the time!’ said Tom.

Over the next few years Tommy, who worked as foreman in the Steelworks Engineering Shop, would create some of the finest sides in Steelmen history. 

The Youth team were echoing the first team, beating everyone in sight, they won their first two games of the season 20-1 and 7-0. When they were drawn away to Derby County Youth in the Youth Cup, hopes were high that they could create an upset. Ultimately the young Rams were too strong and won 3-1, Corby’s goal described as ‘a penalty by Corby’s dashing winger Gordon Anderson’. Larry Wealthall’s main memory of the encounter? “We were treated to fish and chips after the game.” 

Both had been impressing this season and they earned a call up to the first team when Tommy Hadden’s patience with a dip in form grew ever more thin. Liddell had now departed. He was replaced by another Irish signing, Harry Robinson from Portadown. And like his predecessor from a year before, Robin Trainer, Harry too was a member of the Ireland World Cup squad of 22 in 1958 which earned him a transfer to Fulham where he rubbed shoulders and chin with Jimmy Hill and players of the calibre of Johnny Haynes and Bobby Robson. He must have picked up a few cracks from the chairman, show biz personality Tommy Trinder too. Maybe not.

Early season optimism about sustaining a promotion push was dissipating by the week as the Christmas period approached. Willie Armour and John Tomlinson were recalled to the first team, Big ‘Corky’ was running out of steam, Williams was dropped. The hoped for run in the League Cup was ended by the Poppies in January after a replay. To quell the tide Hadden signed veteran striker Andy Easton from Bedford. The balding inside forward scored on his debut against Dover, managed a couple of more goals in ten appearances before injury and lack of pace saw him left out and released at the end of the season. Could have ran past Andy myself. Obviously the ‘quick fix’ Hadden had been hoping for failed to materialise. Kearns and Kelly were still getting their share of goals though, 60 between them come the end of the season. 

Andy Easton v Dartford

On February 17th I was on the team bus when they travelled down to Margate, my first away game, courtesy of one of our friends in the street, Keith White, and his dad who was a friend of one of the directors. Apparently. Memorable it was. Andy Easton actually scored that day, along with Kearns and Gordon Anderson to cheer us all up on the journey home with a 3-2 win. My lasting memory of the day though was the bus breaking down on the M1 somewhere near Newport Pagnell and being stuck there for an hour or two as the driver tried to figure out what had gone wrong with the crate. Might well have been a Flanagan’s job, old Murt’s busses had a great reputation you could say. It was the early hours when we finally got home, cold and knackered. 

Two home defeats virtually sealed Corby’s fate as promotion contenders. Wisbech who would be crowned the champions won 2-1 and then Dartford arrived the following week to put the tin lid on our hopes of going up. Another defeat by the same score brought another scathing report from the disappointed E.T. reporter. Full back Jimmy Fisher was the chief culprit according to ET. His own goal giving the Darts, themselves fighting for promotion, an undeserved equaliser after Andy Easton had put the Steelmen ahead. Early pressure gave the impression the Steelmen would win at a canter too. Well done Jim! Even managed to send our goalkeeper Wealthall the wrong way to boot! Larry was excelling in goals despite Fisher’s efforts, and had the reporter drooling with one save, ‘brilliantly tipping a shot onto the bar and as the keeper was lying prostate, the ball landing back into his arms’. Sounds hoachy to me to be honest. But ET finished off by saying ‘Corby’s atrocious passing - the ball invariably went to an opponent - and lack of ideas, were almost as bad as the disastrous Wisbech game!’ He wasn’t happy. Bet he gave his wife a miserable night that Saturday too. Assuming he was married that is.

Peter Kearns shoots for goal against Ramsgate

With Andy Easton failing to live up to the hype, Tommy Hadden made one of the most significant signings of his managerial career, the maybe, you could call him unconventional, clumsy, awkward, unorthodox forward, Tommy Crawley. This guy scored goals for fun, off his backside, shin, ear, head, rocket shots, mis-cues, what a character. 105 goals in three and a bit seasons testimony to his prowess in front of goal. Legend! Signed from Hinckley, he kicked off with a hat-trick away at Gloucester when the Steelmen won 4-0. Witnessed by another one of the lads from our street, Dougie Wilson who has lived up north for a number of years and still gets the occasional game in. Dougie had walked down to the ground and asked if he could get on the team bus. Tommy and the staff looked after him, and even got him a seat in the dug-out!

Two other boys who were mad keen supporters were brothers Lawrence and Syd Smith who spotted themselves in the photo of the Sittingbourne game at the head of the page. "That's me just to the left of the left hand post in my customary position behind the goal," said Lawrence, "I'm in the white jumper with the dark band across it. Syd is standing behind me. We were ever presents behind the goal that Corby attacked, changing ends at half time. We used to cycle to the away games that were in reach. Hinckley, Nuneaton and Cambridge were about the furthest we got to. We got a write up in the Corby Leader as Corby's best fans, or daftest!"

The season petered out in disappointing fashion after what had been a most promising start. Ten players were released on free transfers, including Les Williams, Andy Easton and John McCorkindale. 

For those who welcomed the cricket season after nine months of soccer, and I for one did, Pakistan were over here for a five match Test Series. And best of all, they played a warm-up match against Northants in which our teacher at the Boys School, Chad Furniss, organised a trip to the game. Brilliant day it was watching the likes of Hanif and Mushtaq Mohammed, Saeed Ahmed, Intikhab Alam, Nasim -U-Ghani and the rest, funny how you can recall names like that but can’t remember what you were doing last week aint it! Age thing. For those who didn’t like the sound of leather on willow, the 1962 World Cup was taking place in Chile. England were there, the team of Bobby Charlton, Jimmy Greaves, Peter Swan, Ron Springett and co. Brazil with the wee guy with the funny legs, Garrincha, ‘Little Bird’ they called him, knocked us out. Nobody over here saw it though. TV coverage was zero back then. Took a bit longer to catch on. Only four years previously when Wales were the outstanding team in the Sweden World Cup, such was the interest in Wales, when they returned home fairly well chuffed with themselves, forward Mel Charles of Arsenal was greeted by a ticket collector at Swansea…’been on holiday Mel?’

Nobody in Wales knew or were interested in the World Cup, or football come to that…bit like at home in our house!

Rocky Road Juniors with stars and lifelong Steelmen supporters goalkeeper John McKensie, and Dougie Wilson second from left at the back.

He’ll Have To Go..1960/61

1960/61 

Corby team v Kettering in F.A.Cup.
Back; Tommy Hadden, Dick Cruickshank, Bill Rodgers, Les Williams, John McCorkindale, Barry Parsons, Tommy Garvie and Fred Patenall. Seated; Charlie Hamilton, John Garvie, Jack Smith, Peter McKay and Johnny Morris.

It’s a new decade, the 60s weren’t swinging just yet but there was an air of optimism about even if Max Bygraves was singing ‘Fings Ain’t What They Used To Be’. National Service was abolished for one thing, relieving many of sleepless nights waiting for the dreaded brown letter to arrive through the post. One for whom the abolition did come too late was John Rennie. His Corby appearances were limited thanks to his time in the Army and he still had a year left of bull and drill before he would become, in army parlance, a regular.

Player / Manager Johnny Morris was soldiering on and had some work to do if he had any desires of extending his contract with the Steelmen beyond the 60 /61 season. Jim Reeves’ big summer hit ‘He’ll Have To Go’ might well have been the wish of disgruntled Steelmen supporters but Johnny was determined to prove his doubters wrong. Having finished 20th in the league he set about re-designing his team for a third time.

Goalkeeper Les Williams and the Garvie brothers, John and Tommy arrived from Boston United. Full back Jack Smith came from the Cobblers. Fred Patenall, another full back, was signed on a months trial after being released by Nottingham Forest. Unfortunately, Fred’s time at Corby was blighted with injury and after 11 first team games he was gone. John McCorkindale, a lanky blonde haired winger from Hastings was also signed. ‘Big Corky’, from Campbeltown soon become a big favourite with his barnstorming runs down the wing to the cries of  ‘Open the Gates!’. ‘Corky’ would run all the way down Occupation Road you’d hear say. 

Disappointingly despite the raft of new signings the start of the season was once again, distinctly average.

The new team assembled, it was off to Wiltshire to take on the ‘Bees’ of Trowbridge Town for the opening game of the new campaign with Johnny Morris confident his new charges would have the opposition ‘Shakin’ All Over’, which was the number one record at the time. As it happened, the Bees stung the Steelmen, swarmed all over them and won the game 2-1. This may have been a setback but three nights later the town was buzzing when Gloucester City provided the opposition for the first home game and a crowd of over 1700 turned out to see a Peter McKay hat-trick, including two penalties, in a heartening 3-0 victory. The game was overshadowed though with an injury to ‘Corky’  who was stretchered off with a broken rib when he ran into the gate, no, actually it was the Gloucester goalkeeper Barron. The report in the following night’s paper was a tad over the top with the headline ‘Tragedy put life into the Steelmen’ and ‘the crowd was hushed as Corky left the field on a St.John’s Ambulance stretcher.’ Two games later, he was back! Over the coming weeks injuries would haunt the Steelmen. John Garvie dropped out with a boil on his leg and worst of all, Peter McKay, who had scored 60 goals in the previous two seasons, suffered a career ending injury away at Poole. 

The first ‘big game’ of the season was the F.A.Cup 1st Qualifying Tie against Kettering at Occupation Road. The F.A.Cup, unlike today, was the magical competition and for non league clubs the path to riches and glory if they negotiated their way through four qualifiers to hopefully draw a League club in the 1st Round proper. 

Tommy Garvie watches as Kettering keeper Smethurst gathers the ball

I remember a hot sunny day, everybody desperate to see the Steelmen, looking smart in new white shirts, with a double black trim around the v-neck, beat the Poppies. Sartorially impressive it was. “Corky’ returned for this game and by all accounts, had a stormer of a match. Can’t really remember that to be honest, I probably spent most of the game pissing about, as usual. That’s what kids do! It’s funny how some things never seem to change though. Not me pissing about, but looking at the report, the referee missed a blatant penalty for Corby when Kettering’s Froggatt handled the ball in his area. The Occupation Road crowd went bananas, vented their anger at the man in black, ‘screaming and screeching’ - but to no avail. Referees were just as blind back then!

For all that, Kettering were the better team, according to The Friar in the Telegraph, and maybe did deserve their 2-1 victory. Tommy Garvie scored his one and only Corby goal in the six matches he played but the Steelman had the patch on his coupon in that night’s edition of the Pink Un! 

It was my first experience of F.A.Cup football and I can still remember the disappointment felt that we were knocked out at the first attempt this season. I didn’t want to go to Wembley anyway. Mike Palmer, a fellow supporter from the 'Old Village' and part of the 'gang' of schoolboys recalls his first memory of a Cup Tie for more upsetting reasons. 'Somebody stole my bike from the ground!' Mike said still peeved 50 years on. "Another memory indelible in my mind is buying a half-time cup of Bovril and it was that hot, it melted the plastic spoon!"

Early season form was largely uninspiring and must have been a worry for manager Morris. Feelings expressed succintly by The Steelman in the Telegraph following a 1-0 home defeat by Hinckley Athletic 

‘Apart from the odd moment when it looked as if one side or the other had at last decided to play good football, this game was as insipid as the score suggests. It opened quietly and this was apparently an omen of its whole content, for at no time did it look as if anything startling was going to or could happen. The game finished as it had begun, quietly and without any real fight from either side.’

As the first team toiled,the reserves were going crazy in the United Counties League, battering everyone. 40 goals in the first 8 games which culminated with a 10-1 hammering of Raunds Town. Winger Alan Major was the main glutton, scoring 17 of the 40.

The Youth team were also doing well and were given a plum draw at home in the F.A.Youth Cup against the youth side of one of the mightiest teams in Britain, Wolverhampton Wanderers. The Wolves were the nation’s favourite team alongside the ‘Busby Babes’ of Manchester United during the 1950s and early 60s. Wolves were also the current F.A.Cup holders having beaten Blackburn Rovers 3-0 at Wembley in May. Their golden shirts a popular item for Christmas presents shall we say. Steelmen supporters John McKensie and Dougie Wilson were two who showed off their ‘Wolves’ kit on the West Glebe Park and other ‘greens’ around the town. 

I missed the night of the Wolves Youth game, it was too late, too dark, I had school in the morning..reasons my maw refused to let me go! I recall looking dolefully over the chimney pots of the Westfields Road estate, the floodlights bristling, the occasional roar. Talk about being pissed off! The young Wolves proved to be too much for our young Steelmen and routed us 8-1 in front of a host of dignitaries including the Wolves manager Stan Cullis and his old adversary, Johnny Morris.

Cullis was obviously keen to take advantage of the ‘easy’ draw for his side and to make sure of the result, included no fewer than six reserve players in his team. Most of them would carve out impressive careers with Wolves and become England internationals as well. A goal in the first minute and three more before half time finished the game as a contest. Goalkeeper Larry Wealthall was praised for his valiant efforts as the young Wolves laid siege on his goal. A consolation was granted when Cleland fired home to give the scoreline some respectability. Larry Wealthall; "I'll never forget playing against Wolves Youth; We had to give up the Home dressing room for them! Should have given them the visitors dressing room with the cold shower! Stan Cullis went bananas at the end when we scored!"

For aspiring youngsters it was around this time that the Corby Streets League was founded. Games between teams of youths were a already a regular feature on the various parks around town. Our crowd from Studfall Green played games against similar teams, could be 10 or 12 a-side depending who could be bothered, on areas at Shetland Way, Welland Vale or the ‘Wessie’. Whoever it was suggested the idea, for a season or two, the Streets League was a huge success. Teams applying for admission showed great imagination in their names. Willowbrook Rangers, Everton Rangers from the Exeter estate. Leighton Orient from Leighton Road, Welfare Wizards, Odeon All Stars based in the old village. Wickbridge United from the Abington Road area and a team calling themselves the Our Ladys XI remembered by wing half Ian ‘the Bomber’ Wilson. “Peter McCowatt ran the team and somehow we acquired these red shirts in the style of Manchester United with the v-neck. Looked great. Then Peter suggested we should all have numbers sewed on our back. Well, we got our mothers or sisters to do the job if we could but most of them were stitched on by ourselves. You’d never seen anything like it! Some of the numbers were hanging off, some were squint, the number seven was stitched on sideways, there were two number nines, or sixes, you couldn’t tell. Right shambles it was but caused a lot of laughter!”

Being younger than most of the guys I only played the odd game as a ‘guest’, best way of putting it really, in reality when some team was short of numbers!

My highlight came when playing full back for Willowbrook Rangers up at the Shetland Way park, forget who we were playing but the game was heading for a draw when somebody shot at goal with our keeper beaten, and I managed to head the ball off the line! Only thing I did all game! But I do remember the delight of our players all cheering, smiling with relief and glee. Felt like a hero! 

Despite not knowing what sort of performance the Steelmen would serve up, attendances were still respectable with crowds of over 1000. It didn’t pacify the chairman Fred Deeley however. Fred was constantly bemoaning the lack of support and the perilous state of the club’s finances. 

Such was the parlous state of affairs, the council stepped in to help and a house to house collection to ‘Save Our Steelmen’ was launched. Odd to think that 20 years later a similar campaign would be launched…’Save Our Steel’. But that’s another story. 

In a spark of genius, Johnny Morris had promoted reserve full back Dick Cruickshank to centre forward in the first team to replace Peter McKay. Dick responded by scoring 29 goals in 39 games. Another significant move came with the return of Tommy Hadden who joined the ‘boot room’ as trainer. His partner in crime was Donald Johnson, a wee feller who could run a 100 yards in seconds. Or so it seemed. A familiar sight was Don racing onto the pitch to attend an injured player, a football bladder filled with iced water and a sponge, and the iced water spilling everywhere as he tore across the pitch. This was the accepted cure-all for football injuries at the time. A sponge full of cold water on the baws was guaranteed to see the footballer spring to his feet. 

Revenge over Kettering for the F.A. Cup defeat came on Boxing Day when Corby smashed them 4-0 at Occy Road. A ‘cracker’ of a game it was. Just for good measure, Corby knocked the Poppies out of the Southern League Cup too, in January, winning 3-1 at Rockingham Road.

Austin McGill scores for Kettering in the League Cup Tie as Les Williams is stranded, but he was still on the losing side!

That christmas was when I became briefly, the most popular boy in the street…after I received a REAL leather football for a present. Even had a tin of Dubbin to go with it! Christmas Day we were all out in the street, all the boys from around the streets, goals at each end of Teesdale Road, the snow was a foot deep. Brilliant! Diving and slipping, slithering around in the snow, great fun. Of course there was the usual moans from some neighbours who growled at us as we retrieved the ball from their garden or fell in their hedge. We ignored them to be honest. Thing was with that ball. After a while in the snow or when it was raining, the bloody thing turned into a medicine ball! Nearly broke your foot kicking it! And forget about heading it.. it would have knocked you out. Often on such occasions when the ball became too heavy, there was always someone with a substitute ball.. the Frido. Lighter and made of rubber it was red in colour and covered in pimples. Until you got used to it, that could be a pain as well. Especially if it was fired into your leg. It would sting like hell. The other down side was it never used to last long. A few shots into the hedges and it would soon get a puncture. Normally their would then be a whip round of pocket money to go and buy a new one out of Tommy Alexanders Sports Shop. 

With all the vibes coming out of the boardroom Johnny Morris was doubtlessly concerned about his future and there was a rumour at the time that he had apparently applied for the manager’s job at league side Carlisle United. The board got whiff of the news, took umbrage and cut his wages. Debating what to do next they obviously decided ‘Its Now Or Never’, and inspired by Elvis’s number one record, agreed mutually with Johnny that a parting of the ways at the end of the season was the way ahead. 

‘Big’ name players were still winding down their careers in non league football and one was the former Newcastle United legendary centre forward, Jackie Milburn. Jackie was signed by Yiewsley, shortly after a 7-2 defeat at Corby in November actually. He was in the team when the Steelmen beat them 2-0 in the return league fixture in March. By then he was player/ manager and remained at Yiewsley for two seasons before taking over from Alf Ramsey at Ipswich who had taken the England job. 

As the season trundled on with mixed fortunes for the Steelmen, including a semi final fixture against glamour side Chelmsford City in the Southern League Cup, which we were unluckily beaten 1-0, and a 6-0 defeat at Barry Town, who included a couple of Swedish internationals in their team, there was a glut of goals at the end with 26 being scored in four games. That’s entertainment you’d say! Nice way to send Johnny on his way. There probably still wasn’t many wishing ‘Johnny Remember Me’ (John Leyton number one) as he left to return up north. Then again he might have felt it was a ‘Great Escape’. Reference to Leyton’s film he starred in with Steve McQueen the same year.

The signings of the Swedish, and Finland players came about thanks to the Barry chairman, Mr Bailey having business interests in Scandinavia and according to their history, ‘audaciously approached the Swedish squad’ who had reached the Final and lost 5-2 to Brazil, and enquired if any of them would fancy playing for the Welsh side. The Scandinavians were still part time and it was their winter break so Bailey thought he would have a chance. Over the next couple of years, half a dozen came over. Amazing really. 

For all the negatives surrounding this season, Morris had guided the Steelmen in the right direction in his final season, up to 9th in the league of 22 and giving youngsters Ian Dey, Willie Armour, Dick Cruickshank, Alan Major a taste of first team action. Peter McKay had retired, John Garvie signed for Stamford but later became better known as a popular publican, taking over the Domino and later again, as steward at the British Legion and Catholic Clubs. He was the landlord of the Domino when in 1967 I and a few of my pals were caught drinking under age by the police and fined a hefty £2 for our troubles! That was worth about 16 pints so if you equate it, that would be around £50 nowadays! Ridiculous.

The Youth team provided hope for the future and were the inaugural winners of the end of season District Youth Cup when they beat Corby Youth United 3-1.

It's All In The Game

Part 3                                            It's All In The Game

Barry Parsons standing guard over the melee

1959/60

'It's All In The Game' by Tommy Edwards was high in the charts at the start of the New Year. A mantra manager Johnny Morris tried to explain to those who were getting disenchanted with his leadership as he embarked on his second year in charge of Corby Town.

Morris’s first season in charge had been less than something to shout home about. 14th out of 18 teams in the league and 150 goals leaked was a sure sign that something needed to change. The only first team regulars retained for the new season were local favourites Barry Parsons and John Rennie, full back John Poppitt and centre forward Peter McKay. Of the others, Jack Connors had retired to concentrate on his teaching career, Tommy Hadden had joined Stamford, Jimmy Adam had gone back to Scotland and the rest were released to go their separate ways. 

Fred Deeley’s Board remained confident in Johnny and with their backing he set about rebuilding the team. In came new goalkeeper, Brian Tapp from Wellingborough, who would only last a few months, nine games in fact. Picking the ball out of his net 26 times didn’t bode well for his longevity as a Steelman and in December he rejoined the Doughboys with a bad back and a ‘thank you’ message from the Directors in the Corby programme - ‘We wish Tapp all the best’. Not Brian.. not Brian Tapp or even Mr Tapp. Sounded a bit churlish and they weren’t too unhappy to see him go but maybe I’m reading too much into it! He was probably pissed off anyway. 

Bill Farmer, an experienced keeper from Nottingham Forest replaced him, having been enticed with the promise of a job in the Works, as an electrician’s mate, and also the almost compulsory  house in the town. His claim to fame was when playing for Forest against Leeds, he ran out to the edge of his penalty area to meet the on-running Welsh ‘Gentle Giant’ John Charles and ‘Big’ John ran around him to put the ball into the empty net. Bill said ‘no you don’t!’, grabbed his leg and dragged him down! Penalty! Nowadays Bill would be slaughtered and sent off. Disgrace! But those sort of things happened regularly in the 50s and was all taken with a smile and a good laugh afterwards in the bar. Probably. Or then again, probably not! 

Anyway, Bill lined up behind defenders Bill Rodgers who was signed from Irish club Linfield, Jack Barker from Derby, ex England and Manchester United wing half Henry Cockburn, forwards Tony Baldwin from Wisbech, John Tomlinson from Chesterfield, Jimmy Crawford from Peterborough and Robin Trainor, another Irishman from Coleraine, all recruited in the summer. Reserve team player Mick Gallagher recalls Cockburn with great fondness; "Henry was 36 when he joined Corby and was as a fit as a fiddle. He looked after himself. Always the first one at the ground before a game. Stripped down ready to get warmed up when everyone else was having a fag. Course it's what you expect from a former England international. He was a lovely guy, a football brain far ahead of the rest of the team." 

Most of the new guys made their bow in a pre season friendly, a Whites v Blues match which was won by the Whites 5-0 with McKay scoring four, boosting optimism that there wouldn’t be a repeat of the previous season’s woeful effort.

The week before the season kicked off, it was rumoured that the Corby players were training in the Welfare ground, so off we went, the boys from the street. Behind the Wall End of the Occupation Road ground we found them, on the S & L cricket square being put through their paces. And Barry Parsons, doing press ups at short square leg with a cigarette in his mouth! Now, even to my nine year old eyes that seemed slightly odd. Barry was a massive favourite, being watched by scouts from Norwich City, Newcastle and West Brom. Not in the Welfare I might add. He was a real character, great centre half, had a swagger and obviously enjoyed life, a pint, a Woodbine and a game of darts. George Bradshaw, turnstile operator at the Rockingham Triangle in the 90s swears that back then, Parsons and John Rennie were always the first in the bar of the Raven after a game, even before the supporters! Years later I was told that Barry hadn’t really been interested in signing for one of the League clubs. Chiefly because there was still the maximum wage in football at the time and Barry was earning more playing for Corby and working as a Fitter in the Steelworks Engineering Shop than what he would have been playing for Newcastle! Whether that’s fact or fiction, who knows. It’s a fact that Jimmy Adam, who was another huge favourite in the 50s, had quit Mansfield Town in 1955 when he was their leading goalscorer, because they wouldn’t give him an increase from a minimum wage. Jimmy signed for Corby after manager Wally Akers promised him a similar wage to Mansfield, plus a job in the Steelworks, as an Industrial Decorator with contractors H.B.Pearce, painting gas holders, and the obligatory new house in the town on top. So there is some credence in the claim that Barry Parsons rejected overtures from a number of league clubs. Besides, he would probably have been told to quit the Woodbines if he had!

Johnny Morris meantime, was, as part of his contract I imagine, going around the schools giving coaching sessions. He turned up at our Studfall Junior School to coach our lot. I recall this squat sort of figure, who we knew was the Corby manager, but no knowledge of him playing for England, or for Manchester United in the 1948 Cup Final, spending an hour with us, showing us how to pass the ball, trap the ball, head the ball. It didn’t improve us much I have to say. We had a half decent team but we were overshadowed by the Our Ladys School who were winning everything. Two of their boys, Jimmy Kane and Johnny Kenny later played for the Steelmen. Only one from our school made it to the dizzy heights of playing for Corby Town, Rob Clark. By far the best player at Studfall, Rob never actually played for the school because the Headmaster, Mr Jones, obviously didn’t like him. ‘He was too cheeky!’ we were told! I kid yee not. Couldn’t figure that one out, even then! My main memory of playing for Studfall, a sad one at that, was playing against the Rowlett School, the whipping boys of Corby getting hammered by everyone. We were 1-0 down and awarded a penalty. I was asked to take it, and failed miserably. A pathetic effort which saw the ball trickle past the post. The goalkeeper never moved. He didn’t have to! The teachers on the touchline groaned, held their heads in their hands. Embarrassing. I felt terrible. A right prick! We lost. And I never took a penalty again!

The all conquering Our Ladys.

The Southern League had admitted a host of Kent and London clubs in 1959 to form two divisions. Corby, after their failure in the North Zone, were deposited in the lower First Division. 

First up was a game away to Yiewsley whose home was close to Heathrow Airport. That Saturday night we were desperate to get the Pink Un to see how the result went and it was with great relief and surprise we saw the Steelman in the cartoons with a big smile on his face. No plaster on his cheek. Baldwin had scored to give us a 1-0 victory. The Steelmen were off to a flying start! 

Two nights later Merthyr Tydfil were the opposition for the first home game. It was still the school holidays so I was allowed to go with my pals Ian Wilson, Graham Henderson, Stan Watkinson and the rest. And what a night it was. The rampant Steelmen blitzed the Welshmen 7-2 with Peter McKay scoring four goals. The pick of the four was when he raced through from the half way line, the ball bouncing awkwardly, he nodded it down to keep control before blasting the ball home. Brilliant. It was looking good. Promising. Christ, at this rate we thought we were going to walk this league!

How wrong we were. The next five games were all lost, including a 7-1 drubbing at Folkestone

If nothing else it was intriguing this season to be playing clubs from seaside towns. After years of spending hour annual holidays with treks to Wales, this year, 1959, was spent with a fortnight in Ramsgate. No idea how we ended up there, could have been a random choice out of the Sunday newspapers for all I know. There was always pages of adverts pleading with you to send for a brochure; ‘Radiant Ramsgate’, ‘Marvellous Margate’ ‘Sunny Southend’. Never mind the old favourite, ‘Bracing Skegness’, we were attracted to ‘Come to Clacton’. Ignoring ‘For f… sake, its Folkestone’. Ok only kiddin’ there but you get my drift.  

Another 'glamour' fixture.

All of a sudden though the Corby fixture list was full of these clubs. From far off places. Which in 1959 they still were. It was only this year that the first Motorway was opened, the M1 from London to Watford Gap Service Station, just past Northampton. You can’t include the M8 which ran for a few miles from Preston to Blackpool. Our trek to a Boarding house in Ramsgate, thanks to a friend of my dad’s who had a Vauxhall Cresta and drank in the Rock, took us down the A6, through London and then through the cabbage fields of Kent. I can still remember the smell. Took around 8 hours with both me and my sister having to stop to throw up! It was as bad as going to Wales!

Leading up to Christmas, games that stood out included a Testimonial game against Leicester City for the club’s Midland League stalwarts Jack Connors and Tommy Hadden. Which was a fine gesture by City, with new signing Gordon Banks in goals, future Scotland star Frank McLintock at right half and Len Chalmers from Stevie Way at right back in their line-up. Len, from the Stephenson’s Way estate of Corby for those who don't know what I’m talking about, was Corby’s record transfer fee received when he signed for City in 1955. Believe it was a ‘Grand’ and he was now making the full back slot at Filbert street his own. A good crowd turned out to give Len a ‘hearty welcome’, and Jack and Tommy a nice few bob. Leicester took it easy, winning 5-0. Afterwards everybody retired to the Corby Hotel as it was then known, the Raven, for a celebration dinner. 

Another game that sticks out was an F.A. Cup tie against Rushden Town. Drawn at home it was regarded as a piece of cake. The Russians were in the U.C.L. and expected to be way out of their depth. Something went wrong however, the bounders tore up the script and grabbed a draw, the game ending 2-2! Because of Corby’s better facilities, the Russians then suggested they wouldn’t mind playing at Occupation Road again for the replay. Very nice of them. They obviously felt at home here. So it was, the following Thursday night everyone reconvened once more. 

Which I couldn’t believe because it clashed with the cubs! I was a reluctant scout as it was, cajoled into joining up with the 3rd Corby troop by my mother, just because my older brother Robert was already there! Well I missed the game to join in with the dib dib dib crew and it was probably, as they say, a good one to miss. The bloody Russians beat Corby 2-1!  

Coke Ovens

Gloom was once more descending on the Occupation Road ground. It was bad enough when the wind was blowing in the wrong direction and smoke and crap from the Coke Ovens and Blast Furnaces in the steelworks would envelop the ground. Which was often. With a hint of mist it would soon turn into smog and it’s a wonder the players didn’t wear face masks at times. One particularly bad night was when the London team Romford came to play. They were a well known successful amateur team turned pro with former Tottenham and England goalkeeper Ted Ditchburn guarding their net. Floodlit games always produced a great atmosphere, it was still a novelty. The atmosphere this night was awful. Occy Road shrouded in fog and everybody choking as the steelworks belched out more fumes and soot. The pre-match entertainment from the resident disc jockey couldn’t have been more appropriate on this occasion, The Platters’ ‘Smoke Gets In Your Eyes’. Could have been adopted as the club’s anthem. Romford may have been surprised and disorientated as Corby got stuck into them. Leading 2-0 with goals by Jimmy Crawford and a cracker from left winger Brian Thorpe, the points were in the bag until the conditions deteriorated until you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face. The referee had no option but to call a halt and the game was abandoned with a quarter of an hour to go. Ditchburn was happy. “Never saw a bloody thing all night” he complained. That’s hearsay to be honest but I could imagine him saying that. He had a reputation for being a moaning sod. It was disappointing as it had been a far better performance from the Steelmen than had been witnessed in recent weeks. The game was duly re-arranged and took place a few months later, and we lost!

A competition for clubs with floodlights was initiated by the Steelmen this season. Peterborough United, Worcester City and Boston United were invited to participate with Corby in the Midland Floodlit Cup. 5,000 were attendance at Occupation Road for the inaugural game against the Posh, who demolished the Steelmen 5-0! Seemed like a good idea. For good measure they hammered us over there as well, 6-1. Think they won the cup but I can’t be bothered to look.

It was all still good fun though and by now, for us, the kids, playing ‘hide and seek’, ‘tig’, and generally farting around had gone one step further when someone brought their own football along. Don’t know who it was that started this but it was soon a feature during the half time intervals. Everyone onto the pitch for a kick around! Didn’t matter that the pitch was often ankle deep in mud. It was great fun and rapidly became an annoyance to club officials trying to stop about 20 kids chasing a ball back and forth up the pitch with them in pursuit. The crowd loved it. Thought it was a great laugh. An appeal was printed on the front of the next game's programme; 'Would all adult supporters assist us in keeping youths and children off the playing area at half-time'. 'Please do help - Thank You'.  It wasn’t long before a policeman was called and he would trudge after us as well. Didn’t matter. Our game continued until the teams came out for the second half. I remember one game when an irate club director was making the half time draw from his drum by the half way line, ‘the winning number is 506’ and he finished off with the parting shot ,’Hey you lot! Get off the bloody pitch!’ Brought the house down! 

You need your lighter moments at times don’t you.

One of the highlights of the 59/60 season was an ‘England Youth Trial Match’ held at Occy Road in January. It was a replayed trial from the January before when the game between England and The Rest was abandoned at half time thanks to a deluge of snow. Looking at the match programme it’s amazing really how many of these youth players went on to make a name for themselves. Terry Venables, Ron Harris, Gordon West, Ronnie Boyce Bobby Kellard. 

As the season petered out, a string of defeats drained even our enthusiasm. It was more fun having a tooth out. The last home game, against Bexleyheath and Welling was given a miss. We all thought we’d have a better game ourselves on Studfall Green. So, when we bought that night’s ‘Saturday Pink Un’ we were all shocked into disbelief. The Steelmen had only won 9-0!  We’d watched shite all season and then the one game we miss, they won 9-0! Unbelievable.

If you were one of the lucky ones you may have won or I suppose have known, who won the 'Grand Summer Draw' run by the Supporters Club. After the success of the previous years' extravagant Top Prize of the Austin A50 car, up for grabs this time was 1st Prize - A Continental Holiday for Two, 2nd Prize - A Washing Machine and 3rd Prize - A Record Player. 

Long before this, some of the players recruited by Johnny Morris had given up the ghost. Jack Barker went back to gas-fitting in Matlock before Christmas and winger Robin Trainor went home to Ireland. And many years later, 2018, club historian David Tilley stumbled across this feature about the red haired winger on the internet; Well worth a read too.

Robin Trainor, seated fifth from the left

‘Robin Trainor, from Castledawson in Northern Ireland first came to prominence with Ballyclare Comrades. In 1955/56 he came to the attention of Manchester United and before being watched by Bert Whalley in a youth international trial in January 1956 the Belfast Telegraph reported that the 17-year-old: "May be a Manchester United player by tonight". The transfer didn't happen, however, and that might have been a blessing in disguise for young Trainor. Whalley was to die in the Munich air crash just three years later and had Trainor joined United he may well have been one of the Busby Babes on the plane that fateful evening.

When Trainor did leave Ballyclare later in 1956 it was to join Coleraine and he continued to enjoy success with them. In 1957/58 he gained Irish League representative honours against Western Command and the League of Ireland and won amateur international caps against Wales - scoring in a 3-1 win - and Scotland. At the start of that season he was a transfer target of Doncaster Rovers, who were managed at the time by fellow Irishman Peter Doherty. Rovers had him on trial but wanted Coleraine to cancel his registration with them so they could sign him on a free transfer. Coleraine, not surprisingly, refused and that was another possible transfer which came to nothing. 

The high spot of Robin Trainor's career came in the summer of 1958 when he was named in Northern Ireland's 22 man squad for the World Cup Finals. Unfortunately the Ireland F.A decided to take just 17 players to Sweden and Trainer (squad number 22) was one of five players to be left at home and only called upon to travel in an emergency, which never occurred. 

In 1958/59 Robin picked up further amateur international honours against England (scoring in a 6-2 defeat), Wales (scoring in a 2-1 win) and Scotland.

So it was something of a coup when Corby manager Johnny Morris returned from a scouting trip to Ireland in the summer of 1959 with Trainor's signature on a semi professional contract. He arrived in Corby in July 1959 still aged only 21 and had no trouble getting a job as a fitter at the steelworks as he had served his apprenticeship back in Ireland.

He never really settled in Corby though and returned to Ireland in April, 1960 after scoring twice in 35 games for the Steelmen. At first he seemed set to rejoin Coleraine but in the end a fee of "around £500" took him to Glentoran, 

Robin joined Derry City in 1961 and between 1963-1965 played for fellow Londonderry-based team Limavady United.’

If only we’d known! 

The season ended with us third bottom in the league, 132 goals against in all competitions, 56 games, which was a slight improvement from the previous season and we once more looked ahead to a summer of cricket, a fresh campaign and Johnny Morris’s last throw of achieving any semblance of success as a manager.