Trains and Boats and Planes..in 1965/66

                                                  Trains and Boats and Planes 1965/66

George Jagger firing a shot at Luton's goal in the Cup replay

Though no automatic promotion existed, the Southern League Premier Division was the stepping stone into the Football League. Clubs could apply to replace the bottom clubs on the league ladder who it seemed was always Hartlepools and Chester, but a ‘closed shop’ policy did ensure that any upstarts would be kept out which caused much resentment as you can imagine. Didn’t deter an annual parade of non league clubs trying to gatecrash this select band’s circle and hard to believe nowadays, even the Steelmen applied a couple of times! All to no avail as you would gather! More an exercise in bullshit if truth be told. Only chance was if a club went bust as happened with Accrington Stanley in 1962 who were replaced by Oxford United. Over time of course this would change and and just occasionally the door would open and in stepped Cambridge United, Hereford United and Wigan Athletic from the Northern Premier League which had grown in status to parallel the Southern Premier. It would take a lot longer before automatic promotion became normal.

The summer of 65’ was memorable for South Africa playing England in the cricket series, basking in the glory of Corby's promotion and listening to some great music. The Beatles in their prime, Bob Dylan, The Stones, Byrds providing a great soundtrack. Protest songs were in vogue as the Vietnam War escalated. Barry Maguire’s chilling ‘Eve of Destruction’ struck a chord and if we were all still carefree, this and Hedgehoppers Anonymous’ ‘Its Good News Week’ gave us a dose of reality and fear. 

The number one record at the start of the season was ‘Help!’ by The Beatles. Quite an appropriate choice for the Occupation Road DJ to kick the new season off, as ‘Help’ is what the Steelmen would need if they were to make an impression. 

New faces were required for the upgrade to Premier status which manager Tommy Hadden realised and once again he scoured the country for recruits. Disappointing for Corby fans though was the departure of John Rennie to our rivals Kettering who had gone in the opposite direction to us and been relegated which made the news even more of a surprise and I can imagine it was a move John maybe later regretted.

Arthur Hukin and Tommy Crawley also left for pastures new which was a worry with our source of goals gone, a worry which can’t be overstated as these prolific marksmen scored goals for fun. 164 between them in just a couple of seasons. 

Most teams in the Premier Division boasted a number of stars, many ex internationals. In the early part of the season Norman Deeley (Wolves & England), Eddie Clamp (Wolves & England), Peter McParland (Aston Villa & N.Ireland), Hughie Barr (Coventry & N. Ireland) all added some glamour to Corby’s fixtures. That didn’t brother us though, we had Janos 'Johnny' Haasz, signed from Cambridge United. What was the big deal? Well Hungarian Johnny had actually played with the great Ferenc Puskas! Yes the ‘Galloping Major’ of Honved, Real Madrid and of course the Magical Magyars of the 1950s. Deeley, McParland and co couldn’t match that for all their endeavours! 

It was something of a coup for Tommy Hadden to get Johnny and arriving at the same time came some experience with Tony Needham from Scunthorpe, Chartlie McGlinchey ex Nottingham Forest, Alan McBain from Luton Town, Bob Riley from Leicester City. And we still had ex Republic of Ireland full back Dick Whittaker in our team. Nothing to fear then.

First up was Kings Lynn away and a disappointing start in many ways for despite losing 3-2 the Steelmen lost stalwart defenders Barry Parsons and Whittaker through injury. Three days later the first of the so called ‘glamour clubs’ came to Occupation Road, Yeovil Town. For supporters of a certain age they would remember the Glovers as one of the great ‘giant killing’ sides of F.A.Cup history, their reputation sealed with a famous Third Round 2-1 victory over Sunderland back in 1949. They came crashing back to earth in the 4th Round however with a 8-0 thrashing at Manchester United. But that was a long time ago. Meant little and the Steelmen enacted their own thrashing on Yeovil, 4-1 with McGlinchey helping himself to a hat-trick. Wellington Town were next at the Occy Road ground and two more goals from McGlinchey saw them off 2-1.

The Imp

It’s interesting looking at the programmes, both home and away, and discovering or recalling some of the anecdotes. In the Worcester City Midland Floodlit Cup home game it was announced that Mr Fulton of Rockingham Road had won a Hillman Imp in a Supporters Club draw. And that night they were having a re-draw for another car that hadn’t been claimed. Surely you would have known, or heard from someone that you had won a car! Maybe not.

Carnival Queen Joan Floody hands the keys over to Mr Fulton.

Corby’s directors continued to bemoan the lack of support, indeed interest in the club and highlighted a headline in the weekly ‘Pink Un’ which noted that Bedford’s attendance against Cambridge City in the Midland Floodlit Cup, was ONLY 2273. ‘Bedford Fans Snub Floodlit Football’. ‘Oh how we would like to say that 2273 was our highest gate of the season!’ Chairman Andy Logan groaned.

Yeovil’s programme was always worth reading and in the Corby programme they noted that back in 1945 Kilmarnock’s left half White had taken a penalty SIX times in a match against Partick Thistle. The referee had ordered a re-take after each penalty because Partick's goalkeeper had moved. Finally at the 7th attempt, the referee appeared to be satisfied, White stepped up again, and the goalkeeper saved it! 

Never a dull moment north of the border.

The Steelmen’s form was steady in the early months and unbelievably by the end of October we were sitting on top of the league! Maurice Goodall was fast becoming a hero, a hat-trick against Dartford a week before a 4th Qualifying F.A.Cup game against our old foes from Kings Lynn setting him on the path to legendary status. We dreaded this lot, Kings Lynn, they seemed to be a pain in the arse every time we played them. This time though we turfed them out of the cup, 2-1, much to the delight of everyone. Things were looking up regarding interest in the club with local butcher Jimmy Lees ‘very kindly giving us a supply of sausage rolls and Scotch Pies for the game’. The re-draw for the raffle and that car mentioned earlier was won by Mr McKimmie of Sulgrave Drive, another Hillman Imp. And, according to the programme, yet another Imp was up for grabs in the next raffle. Sounds like they couldn’t get rid of them! And would you believe it..the following week they announced - ‘Yes! SIX brand New Motor Cars in Jackpot Competition’. You’ve guessed it. More Hillman Imps! Tickets for the raffle were only a 1/-. A bob, or 10p in todays language.

The draw for the 1st Round Proper was something of a disappointment when we were drawn against fellow Southern Leaguers Burton Albion. We all wanted a league club! Burton probably felt the same.

As it turned out, it's gone down as one of the greatest games in the club’s history.  ‘Nine goals, a hatful of thrills and incidents galore made this F.A.Cup Tie one of excitement and tension right to the very last kick. Nearly 4000 people saw a game that simmered and eventually reached boiling point. They also saw some wonderful entertainment that was a credit to non league football’ enthused The Steelman in the Evening Telegraph. A 6-3 victory saw us in the Second Round of the F.A.Cup for the first time ever, and rewarded with a home tie against Luton Town who were cup finalists just six years previously. And they had a danger man up front in goalkeeper Tony Read! Tony who was on loan at Corby the previous season to cover the injured Alan Alexander and Larry Wealthall. Converted to centre forward, Tony scored a hat-trick for Luton just a week before the Corby game.

The town was buzzing with cup tie fever but my main memory is of getting a job as an office boy in the Steelworks Engineering Shop on the Friday, starting work on the Monday and as events unfolded, having to ask my boss Allan McBride if I could finish work early the next day so I could get a lift to Luton for the replay after the Hatters had robbed the Steelmen of victory on the Saturday with a dubious penalty to make it 2-2. McBride too was caught up with the fever thankfully, but then again with Steelmen manager Tommy Hadden also working in the Engineering Shop, he could hardly say no to me, could he? Nice bloke was Mr McBride! What a night Luton was. Memory blurs over time, for years I couldn’t remember who’s car and who I was with that famous night...until just a few years back when I got talking to an old pal who had returned to watching the Steelmen at Steel Park. Roy ‘Clanger’ Edwards was telling his pal about the time 'we went to Luton'...I couldn’t believe it. Hadn’t seen Roy for donkeys and he's filling me in on who went with us in his car 40 odd years back. Along with me and Clanger was Stan ‘Snowball’ Watkinson and Ian ‘Bomber’ Wilson. Both characters who were well known in local soccer. Stan as a referee, blind as a bat believe it or not and Ian as a midfield destroyer in the local  amateur leagues. Over 13000 were at Kenilworth Road to watch the replay and see a giant killing act that would live forever for the Steelmen fans who were there. Maurice Goodall bearing down on goal to smash the ball past Luton’s keeper Tinsley to win the game 1-0 sent the Corby supporters into ecstasy. Though we all held our breath when Luton's O’Rourke headed over the bar from a corner in the last minute. What a feeling that was when the ref blew his whistle! 

'Maurice Goodall scoops the ball past Luton keeper Tinsley only for the goal to be disallowed for an infringement'

Incidently, the team played in a different kit for the Luton game, because of the colour clash we borrowed the kit, a sort of yellow with a maroon band in the middle of the shirt reminiscent of Motherwell, from Stewarts and Lloyds. Superstition or not, it was decided to retain the gear for the Plymouth tie for good luck, which obviously didn't work! 

For the first and only time Corby Town were in the Third Round of the F.A. Cup, in the hat with Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal and the rest. Who did we get? Plymouth Argyle away! Not exactly what we wanted but a good day out was promised whatever the outcome. 

Celebrations after the victory at Luton

Its hard to recall the thrill of this, we would actually be on the BBC Football Results teleprinter! 

Such was the demand, a ‘Football Special’ courtesy of British Rail was organised, hundreds made the trek by rail, road and even airplane! ‘Trains and Boats and Planes’ a massive hit this year for Billy J. Kramer was an apt song for the Steelmen fans! Our support was also boosted by a bunch of sailors, submariners as it happened, who were in port that weekend. I know this because one submariner ended up as a postman at Corby many years later. Alex Rae hailed from Dundee I think, might have been Aberdeen, forget, but Alex who was as funny as hell, a right comedian, overheard me and Cliff 'Yozzer' Hughes talking about the Plymouth game one morning and butted in to our conversation. 'I was at that game!' he said. Unbelievable. Anyway, for all that, we were hammered 6-0! And a milkman called Bickle scored a hat trick against us. What would have happened if George Jagger's shot in the first minute had gone in instead of hitting the post was a question often posed in the aftermath. Well in all honesty all I can say is they would have probably beaten us 6-1! What people wouldn’t remember about this day though, I doubt it anyway, is that we went out of the Cup at the same time as the holders Liverpool who were beaten at home by Chelsea. Good quiz question I would hazard. 

The 'Football Special' racing through Taunton Station. 

Coinciding with the Plymouth weekend were a couple of events of note. The Saturday morning was the final shift of the Bessemer Plant in the steelworks, which was a sad day for my dad and many others who worked there. Dont know why but in such awful and lousy conditions it's the comaraderie they'd miss I supposed. The Bessemer was replaced by the new 'modern' BOS (Basic Oxygen Steelmaking) Plant which for all the modernisation was equally as manky. Grim place I recall. I worked in the BOS Plant for a day when I was with contractors Shanks and McEwan a few years later. Concreting a platform or something. Forget what it was. It was a shit hole anyway.

Also that weekend, local band The Size Seven released their latest single ‘In Time’. Didn’t make a dent in the charts but it was still an achievement and momentous occasion for the boys, Brian Dowell, George Cumming, Jack Stewart, Billy Geary, Alan Black and Ian Murray. I know, there’s only six names there. Female vocalist Alice Reilly wasn’t required for the recording. 

Both the Luton and Plymouth games have been well documented by club historian David Tilley down the years in features he has wrote for various publiucations. If you can get hold of them they’re well worth reading.

Following the cup run was always going to be tough and the season petered out into something of an anti-climax. Four defeats in the next five league games put an end to any aspirations of league success. Players left, players came, someone called A.N.Other featured regularly, used to confuse us when we were kids, who's that? Funny name! Some made an impact like Jim McNamee, who came and left Occupation Road as something of an enigma. Nobody seemed to know who he was, where he came from and then when he left, to our bewilderment, a few months later he showed up at Tranmere Rovers! He scored a few goals for Corby, including a hat trick against Wisbech and he was in the team at Plymouth. Decent player I remember. Monty Brown a forward from Scunthorpe also promised to be a good signing but then went off the boil. Billy Stark from Luton was another who showed some craft at inside forward before his enthusiasm drained. Tommy Hadden was a fan of Billy's, enthusing in the programme about the former Rangers and Celtic youth player, Carlisle, Colchester and Luton forward; 'He certainly knows where the goal lies.' As one goal in seven appearances testified. Others disappointed like winger Terry McQuade of Millwall and Queens Park Rangers fame. Much was expected of Terry, we'd seen him in the Charles Buchan's Football Monthly.

Local youngsters given an opportunity and impressed included goalkeeper George Flecknor and centre forward Neil McWatt. George ended up in Australia and Neil subsequently ended up 'returning' to Scotland.

Johnny Haasz

And Johnny Haasz? What became of our Hungarian star and pal of the great Puskas? Johnny suffered with injuries, his appearances were intermittent, 32 in all, though he did feature in the cup run, most memorably and unfortunately conceding the penalty, which was deemed 'harsh' by The Steelman, in the 2-2 draw with Luton.  Johnny, had scored 40 goals for Cambridge United the previous campaign, his 8 goals for Corby was a disappointing return from what was expected but his injuries didn't help.

A thrilling campaign it had been and thoughts soon drifted towards the following season. How could you follow that? One of consolidation was the general concensus. One thought in my mind was starting shift work in the Tubeworks C.W. Mills and earning some decent money, £11 a week. And I also have to confess, give us, my mate John Wilson in the Club Shop, Wilf who was a shunter on the steelside, some money to broaden our horizons, and start travelling in earnest to follow the Reds, Liverpool F.C. around the country.Another chapter in our lives. Funny how things go full circle. 50 odd years later, we are back where we started!