Lockdown Trivia - October 1980

 

The 1980/81 side included stars Trevor Morley and Derek Walker

A Dive Into the Archive   

Thanks to the corona virus and the libraries being amongst a plethora of institutions indefinitely closed, the series I began 18 months or so back, on my Anfieldiron Blog, memories of every season I’ve bore witness to since I started following the Steelmen as a boy in 1958, meant due to the unavailability for research, the series ground to a halt. However, another idea came to me to help pass the time during this continuing pandemic, one based on and similar to articles I used to write occasionally for the Corby programme back down the decades. At one time they were called ‘A Dive Into the Archive’, other times it was ’40 years ago today..’ ’30 years..’ 

Anyway, we begin by going back to October 25th 1980 which I can’t believe is 40 years ago. How many times do we say this the older we get! This particular day the Steelmen were away to Bromsgrove Rovers in a Southern League Midland Division clash.

But before this….

1980 wasn’t a great year. The town was drowning in a sea of anguish and gloom. A national steel strike and the closure of the steelworks in April had resulted in thousands being made redundant. Despair hung over the town like a shadow on the lung. 

It goes without saying that at times like these football and entertainment often provide a means of escape, if only briefly, for those feeling as if they've been thrown on the scrapheap.

The demolition of the steelworks

Unfortunately in 1980 the football fans of Corby Town, those whom were still hanging in there, were also in despair. The end of the 1970s had been one of abject decline in the fortunes of the club. Finishing rock bottom of the league in the previous two campaigns, accumulating just 35points out of a possible 160 told its own story. Attendances dropping to double figures, the Occupation Road ground rapidly becoming derelict and unloved, the terraces overgrown, the stands in a state of collapse. Interest had all but disappeared. Entertainment value watching the Steelmen was zero. Light relief certainly wasn’t to be found at Occupation Road that was for sure.

Entrance to the Theatre of Dreams

A proposed new stadium that had been designed and even published in the local press had also sunk without trace. The club was on the verge of oblivion, and it seemed, no one cared. After all, with thousands being made redundant in the town there were far more things to worry about than the fortunes of the local football club. This no doubt was the reason why, in February, the directors threw in the towel and tendered the club’s resignation from the Southern league. 

At the time I was into my third year working for the Royal Mail, and amongst other things, discussing football and the plight of the Steelmen with fellow posties Cliff ‘Yozzer’ Hughes and Dick Dighton who was passing his spare time keeping goal for minor teams like Rushden and the Diamonds. Dick had been a member of the Southern League Championship winning Kettering Town team in 1973. Injuries had blighted his career and he had latterly been keeping his hand in and getting a few extra bucks for his trouble, turning out for village side Cottingham. Thanks to Yozzer and myself, he would step back up to where he belonged and be keeping goal for the Steelmen 12 months down the line…but that’s another story and for another time.

It was Yozzer, who it turns out, had been a Corby supporter for nearly as long as myself, going back to the early 60s, who happened to mention about some rumblings going on concerning the Steelmen during that summer of 1980. A new board of directors had assumed control, backed by the Hamblin Group who were behind the success of many of the county’s bingo halls and night clubs, including the Stardust Centre in the town’s George Street. The venue was the hub of entertainment in Corby throughout the 70s, attracting star names like P.J.Proby, Del Shannon, The Searchers, Billy J.Kramer, Alias Smith and Jones, Knobbs. And a game of Bingo.

Knobbs, with director Mick York on drums

Anyhow, out of the blue it was announced in the press that Corby Town had successfully re-applied for membership to the Southern League and the directors, Arthur Pitcher, Mick York, Tom Haworth and co had appointed as player manager, Gordon Livsey, a goalkeeper of renown who had league experience with Chester, Wrexham, Hartlepools and also Kettering Town, Nuneaton Borough and Weymouth. Bit of a surprise it was, as was the signing of another experienced league player, midfielder Tony Moore from Chesterfield and his friend John Tandy from Northern Premier League side Worksop. 

Talking about this, a pre season friendly against Alliance Premier League A.P Leamington was coming up, and it spiked our interest enough to go and pay a visit. The Alliance had been inaugurated this year, as the tip of the non league pyramid. All the top non league sides in the country in the one division. 

Leamington was obviously going to be a test for the new look Steelmen. Well, to be honest, it was all new to me and Yozzer too. They did, apparently, have a number of ‘promising’ local youngsters and a couple of former Derby and Nottingham Forest youth players in the team, plus the ‘old heads’ of Livsey, Moore and Tandy to help them along.  

It did create a buzz and much to our surprise, a decent crowd turned up to find out, like ourselves, what was going on at Occupation Road. A great night it turned out to be. The young Steelmen overturning the illustrious visitors 1-0 and impressing everyone who was there. 

For all the promise and enthusiasm garnered against Leamington the season got off to the worst possible start with two 1-0 defeats against Minehead away and Kidderminster at home. Sandwiched in between however were two victories over the highly regarded Aylesbury in the Southern League Cup which was enough to retain the optimism.

Trevor Morley, who came from Derby County youths and went on to have a great and successful career with Northampton, West Ham and Manchester City was undoubtedly the star, along with local lad Derek Walker. Both would be snapped up by Nuneaton, one of the top non league teams at the time managed by Graham Carr in the New Year, which was hugely disappointing for Steelmen fans. 

Morley and Walker lit up many a game with exhilarating displays down the flanks, one goal in particular embedded in the memory of all who were there came against Finchley in the F.A Trophy at Occy Road. Exchanging passes down the wing all the way from their own half, tearing the Finchley defence apart before Derek sent a cross over that Morley powered into the back of the net with his head. The place went nuts! We were scoring goals for fun by now which wasn’t going unnoticed. Attendances were creeping up every home game and it was catching the notice of the town, including my mate Pat McMahon who reveals his first Corby game was the week before the Bromsgrove game. A 4-0 hiding of British Timken in the Senior Cup. It was the start of his devotion to the Steelmen which would over time see him become a peripheral and often influential figure behind the scenes as the years rolled by. Pat was though, and some may say, still is, a moaning ‘get’ which was a trait that originally endeared him to all of the infamous BOTS, the ‘Back Of the Standers’ at the Rockingham Triangle ground later on and would secure his membership to the equally infamous Grumpys.

A leading critic over the years, Pat McMahon

Back to what I was talking about originally though, the Bromsgrove game. Finishing our mail delivery rounds on the Saturday morning, I went along with Yozzer, and his brother Barry, down to the Occupation Road ground to see if we could hitch a lift on the team bus. I can still remember manager Matt McIllwain’s face when he saw us standing there and we asked him. He looked as if we’d asked him for a fiver! Disbelief. It was probably the first time for a few years that the team had any supporters travelling with them! “Sure boys” Matt said, with a look of bemusement. “Get on”. Have to add, even the players looked slightly bemused!

The days when the Steelmen used to run 'football specials'

Arriving at Bromsgrove’s ground we were hesitant as what to do or where to go until Matt told us, “Grab hold of a bag fellers and follow the rest of us into the changing rooms. Anybody asks anything, tell them you’re injured!” We started laughing. Barry looked more like a rugby player, a prop forward at that, than a footballer! Still, we walked past a couple of Bromsgrove officials who looked a bit dubious at the three of us, as we put on a limp for good measure, and we were in.

Joining in with some camaraderie for a bit of affect, we left the dressing rooms and made our way to the club bar in the ground for a couple of pints ahead of the game. 

We weren’t too optimistic about our chances, Rovers were one of the better teams in the league, and I can’t remember now exactly how the first half went, except that we were one up at half time, thanks to a Derek Walker goal. We were well chuffed as we made our way back to the bar for more refreshment during the interval. Bromsgrove were one of the favourites for promotion this year so as far as we were concerned, this was going better than expected. Then an announcement over the Tannoy as the teams came out for the second half lifted our spirits even further. The Bromsgrove goalkeeper was injured and the centre half (as we still called them those days) was replacing him in between the sticks. We were delighted with this naturally, and expecting an avalanche of goals, we made our way to behind the Bromsgrove goal to give their stand in goalkeeper as much stick as we could muster. All good humoured of course. ’Tosser!’ ‘Hopeless’ etc

Encouraged by this turn of events, the Steelmen duly bombarded the Bromsgrove goal, to little effect! Chances were being put on a plate but unfortunately they were usually being served up to our centre forward, a genial chap we called ‘Big’ Mee. Paul Mee was an honest player, let’s say. He did his best, as he always did, but…holy shit, I could have scored a hat full that day!

Cheered on by Yozzer, Baz and myself, our boys poured forward towards us, standing alone by the fence in front of the stand. Time and again the ball sailed over our heads! Best chance of all came when ‘Big’ Mee was clear with only the stand-in keeper to beat. A guy who looked like a fish out of water. Surely we must score this time we thought. No. Big Paul scuffed his shot after the keeper had left a wide open goal for him after coming out to the edge of the area and found himself stranded. Once more the ball went flying over our heads, to a howl of groans. ‘F—-k me!’ ‘You couldn’t score in a brothel!’ ‘If you fell in a barrel of tits, you’d come out sucking your thumb!’

Exasperated, it was I who retrieved the ball, and with Paul looking on, with a hint of embarrassment, I threw the ball at the back of the net and shouted to him, “there’s the f—-ing goals!!” Even the goalie laughed!

The whistle went soon afterwards however and despite everything, we had won 1-0! Brilliant. Back in the bar, Yozzer, Baz and I sat, all smiles, with a pint, waiting for the boys to come in and to celebrate the victory. Spying us, looking liking a bunch of numptys I guess, as they entered, Big Mee came over. Apologetically, he stammered, “bit disappointing that was lads, wasn’t it…’. Blimey, I suddenly felt sorry for him. The three of us cracked up, “don’t worry about it Paul…” Yozzer placated him, laughing, “we still won!” Paul did try to smile. Anyhow, what the hell, despite the numerous chances that were missed, we’d still pulled off a surprising away victory! Magic! lol Good day it was!

The team which was more or less the same every week throughout the first half of that season was Gordon Livsey; David Gill, Tony Ferns; Tony Moore, David ‘Dodge’ Rodger, Alan McIllwain; Jimmy Rogers, John Tandy, Paul Mee, Trevor  Morley and Derek Walker. 

‘Big Mee’ did get his scoring boots on the following week, helping the Steelmen to a 1-1 draw at Bridgend. His final goal for the Steelmen before he was released and replaced by goalscoring machine Brian Beresford from Worcester City. For a reported fee of a £1000 no less! Strange days.