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| John with his pals and fellow Steelmen Barry Parsons, Jiommy Adam, Alex Harper and Buddy Irving 1958 |
A great favourite at Occupation Road in the late 1950s and early 60s was local lad John Rennie. John was a key member of the Corby team for over a decade, his versatility proving a great asset for the three managers he served under. There aren't many who can say they have played in every position, including goalkeeper, but John joined this exclusive club when taking over from the injured Bill Farmer during a Boxing Day clash at Cambridge United in 1959. We lost the game 2-0 but all John can remember about it though is "It was a bloody freezing day!"
Born in Corby John went to the Boys School in James Watt Avenue, leaving in 1954 to take up an apprenticeship as a welder in the Pen Green Workshop of the Stewarts and Lloyds steelworks. Like many lads back in the 1950s he joined the Uppingham and Corby Boys Club and starred in a highly successful football team that also included his great friends Barry Parsons and Buddy Irving. All three were signed by Corby Town manager Wally Akers in 1955.
John Rennie was initially a forward, scoring goals for fun as ex Liverpool star and TV pundit Alan Hansen would say. Playing for the Corby 'A' team he continued to find the onion bag and was soon rewarded with a call up to the reserve side playing in the Central Alliance. Nothing could stop John. Roy of the Rovers had nothing on him! His goalscoring record was maintained by netting 20 goals out of the 40 the whole team managed that season! The highlight of an otherwise average season for the reserves came with a two legged Knock Out Cup tie against Derbyshire mining side Clay Cross.
The miners came to Corby for the first leg and shafted the junior Steelmen 5-2. The performance afterwards was described by the disconsolate reserve team manager John Bell 'as the pits!'
Rennie and Terry Agnew scored for Corby in this game but the tie seemed lost. The return a week later was a forgone conclusion, or should have been, but a couple of changes by the 'tinkerman' John Bell, and some complacency by the home side plus a hat-trick from John and a solo effort from Andy Ross stunned the mining team and gained Corby Reserves a fantastic 4-0 victory and tie winning aggregate score of 6-5.
Inside forward Mick Gallagher recalled that day; 'First of all I remember pre match that John Bell had ordered us a light snack of scrambled eggs in a hotel. Andy Ross took one look at it and went off to look for a chip shop! It was a filthy day, raining all game, the pitch was heavy with mud but we were obviously the fitter team, and John Rennie was unstoppable. And Andy ended up on his knees vomiting on the pitch!"
Rennie's exploits didn't go unnoticed by Wally Akers and in February 1958 John was called up for his first team debut away at Bradford City Reserves in a Midland League fixture. The Steelmen lost 3-1 but John had the satisfaction of scoring the Corby goal.
During the summer of 1958 there were wholesale changes at the club. Wally Akers was replaced by former Manchester United, Leicester and England player Johnny Morris as manager to begin a new adventure in the revamped Southern League. One of Johnny's first signings was John Rennie on professional terms. Unfortunately these weren't the only forms signed by John, as the Army came calling for him to do his two year stint of national service.
However because of his apprenticeship John's call-up was deferred and he joined up later in April 1960. After basic training in Dorset he was posted to the R.E.M.E unit in Aldershot. John played football regularly for the Army teams alongside players who were currently playing for league sides. Trevor Peck of Cardiff City was one. 'Pecky was a big blonde haired Welsh guy, thought he was better than he was! He was a good friend though who later played for Kettering."
The North Western Division of the Southern League was a tough one with many old 'pro's' turning out for the opposition sides. Scottish international Charlie 'Cannonball ' Fleming at Bath City, Johnny Hancocks at Wellington Town, Welsh international captain Roy Paul at Worcester City just a few to mention. Playing against exalted company must have been a thrill but John wasn't one to be overawed or impressed. "They were just players on the way down picking up good part time wages."
Under Johnny Morris, Rennie could find himself playing anywhere; on the left wing, right back. Morris's team selections often proved to be baffling, switching players around after defeats giving the impression of shutting the gate after the horse had bolted. Which gave credence to the thought that he didn't have a clue! Goals were Rennie's business as he proved when Johnny selected him in his favoured position at center forward against Barry Town and Kidderminster in September 1958. He scored five times! It didn't impress Johnny though and he was soon back in defence.
Over the next couple of years John was yomping back and forth, playing only intermittingly for the Steelmen though it appears he did spend more time playing football than working on tanks! "I used to play a lot of mid-week games for Corby during this time. I'd get the late train back to St Pancras after the match, walk over London to Waterloo Station and catch the train to Aldershot. I'd generally arrive back at the barracks around four in the morning. They allowed me to stay in bed until about ten. If you were a sportsman you were given these sorts of privileges. I played rugby, football and boxed for the army. It was great."
By the time of his demob, Tommy Hadden had taken over as Corby manager, beginning one of the best eras in the club's history. Hadden signed Tommy Crawley and Arthur Hukin, both renowned goalscorers. A young Scottish player called Hughie Curran, the mercurial Peter Kearns at inside forward. There was a strong Irish element to Hadden's teams with Bill Rodgers, Jimmy Fisher, Harry Robinson and Robin Trainor all coming over from the Emerald Isle. John Rennie was a fixture at half back alongside his old mate Barry Parsons. Stalwarts of the side. One miserable filthy day when Corby were playing Gloucester City, such was the state of the pitch, Rennie, who relished the conditions walked off at half time covered from head to toe in mud. When he re-appeared for the second half he had a new sparkling clean white shirt on and stuck out like a sore thumb. It reminded me of the Omo washing powder advert on TV. Before and after! Watching football during Tommy Hadden's reign as manager was a joy. The Steelmen reached the first round of the F.A.Cup in three consecutive seasons. John; "Bristol City in 1963 was a game which with a bit of luck we could have won. They included John Atyeo the ex England centre forward, a real hard man to play against, but our defence didn't do too bad. Hartlepools the year afterwards was also another tie we could have won. Republic of Ireland international Ambrose Fogerty was in their side. A big skilful inside forward who had all of us chasing around! They were great games despite us losing both 3-1."
In 1963 Rennie and Parsons were awarded a testimonial for their loyalty with a game against Aldershot, arranged as part of the deal that had taken Peter Kearns there in 1962. Both players pocketed a nice wee sum, though John's wife Betty later complained; "They should have made more out of it. John and Barry didn't do enough to promote the game. The two of them were too laid back. They should have arranged a Benefit dance at the Raven and things like that but they didn't seem bothered. It was still good game though."
Corby finally achieved their goal of promotion to the Southern League Premier Division in the 1964/65 season. You would have thought everyone was thrilled by the achievement but there were a couple of shocks during that summer. Tommy Crawley decided to move on and then most unexpectedly, John Rennie also left, to join great rivals Kettering Town! "That was the biggest mistake of my life. Worst move I ever made" said John with hindsight. Asked why he left, and returned to Corby after one season at Rockingham Road John replied; "I was just bored and fancied a change of scenery. Kettering's manager George Swindin got in touch and I went."
John would later regret his move as Corby's first season without him saw them progress through to the third round of the F.A.Cup with games against Luton and Plymouth that would enter folklore. It must have been hard watching his home town team having a great year in his absence. He returned for one more season and was virtually ever present before calling it a day and settling for a few years playing for Stamford and local amateur sides. "I used to get calls asking if I fancied a game. I turned out for a number of clubs, I even played full back for Corby Rugby Club one season!"
Following the steelworks closure in 1980 John and Betty decided on a career change and in 1985 they took over as stewards of the Liberal Club in Leyton, East London. A totally new experience as Betty recalls; "It was a real East End club, the people were rough but really friendly. What surprised us more than anything was the language! Terrible, every second word was an expletive but it was the way they talked. You got used to it after awhile and realised they weren't being disrespectful or anything. We were there for about a year before we decided to come home. We found the long hours in running a working men's club wasn't for us. We had a great send off from the club members, typical of the generosity of the cockneys."
John still takes an interest in the Steelmen, attending an occasional match at Steel Park. Indeed he attended the recent Dover F.A. Cup match. He also remains in touch with some of his old team mates, Alan Alexander, Gordon Anderson, Jimmy Adam, and Tommy Fulton.
John Rennie, a true Steelmen legend.
