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.