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.

Getting into the zone….

Back; W.Morris, Poppitt, Neilson, Dickson, Rennie and Hadden
Seated; Harper, J.Morris, McKay, Adam and Jordan

                                                          Getting into the zone….

The 1958/59 season was a curious one. With the reorganisation of non league football, the Southern League was split into two divisions, the North West and South East Zones. As such, there were only 34 league games to play. Thus in their wisdom, the league management, plucking from their Suggestion Box, introduced a one-off Inter Zone Cup to fill in the gaps. This still wasn’t enough and so it was up to the clubs to organise friendly matches to make the season worth while. A right mixture it was too. The Steelmen arranged friendlies as diverse as the All Stars XI, Bomber Command, amateur clubs Ilford, Sutton Town and one against Bournemouth Reserves which was the most curious of all! What was the connection with the Cherries? If any? Perhaps Chairman Fred had been there on holiday? Who Knows.

What was exciting those days was that virtually every non league club boasted a former international player in their team. Corby had Johnny Morris, Kettering had Jack Froggatt. Wellington Town had Johnny Hancocks. To name just a few. One who in particular sticks in my mind, was Roy Paul of Worcester City. Just two years previously Paul had been captain of the cup-winning Manchester City team. He was also City’s and Wales captain. It just so happened that I had his autobiography, christ knows where it came from but another anomaly was that he was born in Pentre, which is a village just up the road from my family’s home of Treherbert in the Rhondda. Taking this into account is why I still recall the excitement felt around town of Roy Paul’s forthcoming appearance at Occupation Road in March 1959. The previous summer remember, Wales had been the most successful British team in the World Cup held in Sweden. Only Brazil, the eventual winners, had put them out. The Welsh team of the Charles brothers, Allchurch brothers etc. All former teammates of Roy Paul. 

However, despite all this, and his presence, Worcester were held to a 1-1 draw. Which was an improvement for Corby on the previous week’s effort, a 3-0 away defeat to the factory team of Lovells Athletic in Newport. 

Just a month earlier Worcester, with Roy Paul at left half, had knocked Liverpool out of the F.A.Cup, 2-1 in one of the biggest shocks of the competition’s history. Liverpool included legends Tommy Younger, Ronnie Moran, Alan A’Court, Jimmy Melia in their team. A year later, Liverpool, then in the Second Division, appointed Bill Shankly as manager, and as they say, the rest is history.

Roy Paul, aged 39, called it a day after this season and returned home to the Rhondda to become a lorry driver. He passed away in 2002 aged 82. Somehow, in these money mad days of football, it’s hard to imagine any modern day stars taking a job lorry driving after such an illustrious career. Different world. 

Going off on a tangent, Roy Paul played in the only F.A.Cup Final that was officiated by a one armed referee, Alf Bond in the 1956  Manchester City verses Birmingham Final. The game when City keeper Bert Trautmann broke his neck. Bert, a tough old boy, continued in goals, despite this handicap, soothed with a pill, to help City and his captain Paul to a 3-1 victory. If air ambulances had been around in the 50s, it might well have been a different story. Bert would have been carted off and somebody else would have had to have gone between the sticks. Bert, the German prisoner of war was made of sterner stuff though.

Whilst a one armed ref is a rarity, there was another well known one, locally, who lived in Tansfield Road, Corby. Tommy Galt took charge of many a Kettering Amateur League game in the town’s West Glebe Park and other districts during the 50s and 60s. He was also known for his horticultural skills, remembered by neighbour Lynn Head for his garden ‘always being immaculate’, winning prizes, and selling flowers from his garden.’ I’m not leading you up the garden path - it’s a true story.

Wellington Town, later to change their name to Telford United and including ex Wolves and England winger Johnny Hancocks were Corby's first ever opponents in the Southern league. A crowd of over 3000 turned out to see Johnny Morris's team create a piece of history for the club. Before the kick off two new footballs were presented to the Steelmen. One from the Blast Furnace section of Stewarts and Lloyds and one from 30 former residents of Wellington living in Corby. Whatever ball they used, it was in the back of the Wellington net three times! A 3-0 victory sending the herds home and off for a Saturday night out in great mood. Joy wasn't to last too long however. Four nights later the Steelmen crashed 6-2 away at Wisbech. Such is life following the Steelmen! Some things never change it would seem.

Following my adventure with Barry Town I couldn’t wait to go again. The atmosphere at Occupation Road was intoxicating. The football wasn’t always great but ingrained more in my memory is the permeating stench and the steam belching out from the bowels of the ‘Tuck Shop’ at the back of the stand on the Westfields Road side, with a woman that resembled to us kids, Maw Broon from The Broons Christmas Annual peering through the mist like an apparition. Maw served up steaming cups of Oxo, tasteless tea, greasy sausage rolls, Mars Bars and gobstoppers which took care of your last penny! One of the great pleasures of a visit to Occy Road.  Even if the tea was rank. 

And if you think the description of the Typhoo being rank is flippant, the quality, or lack of, was obviously a view shared by a good many. Including the committeemen of the Supporters Club who were likewise unimpressed. In the Kings Lynn programme just a month into the season they duly announced; ‘two new tea urns are being purchased’, adding, ‘you can now expect a cup of tea - just like your maw makes!’ As long as it wasn’t like Maw Broon’s I guess!

I’m sure there were more pressing subjects to worry about at the club, like the form of the first team, which to date had been inconsistent to say the least. Manager Johnny Morris had chopped and changed the team he had assembled to such an extent that faith within the devotees on the terraces was dissipating by the week.

Peter McKay scores from a cross by John Rennie 58/59

One success though was the form of centre forward Peter McKay who was signed from St. Mirren in the summer. Only a ‘wee’ feller, Peter was banging the goals in left, right and centre. Only trouble was, the defence was leaking in goals, left, right and centre! Like a sieve. McKay had scored goals for fun at Burnley, St.Mirren and Dundee United and must have been wondering what he had to do! ‘Keep banging them in!’ Johnny told him I expect. Peter, to this day, is still Dundee United’s all-time record goalscorer. 

Johnny was scratching his head. His selections at times were bordering on the bizarre. Was he pulling names out of a hat? 37 goals had been shipped in 13 games leading up to an away F.A.Cup Tie against fierce rivals Kettering Town. Johnny’s answer was to drop popular right winger Alex Harper and replace him with 18 year old reserve Martin Watson for his debut. 

If supporters, and indeed Martin, was surprised, Johnny had no fears; "Martin has been playing extremely well in reserve games” he explained, “he's an all-round sportsman, can do 100 yards in even time and is a former captain of the successful Uppingham & Corby Boys Club. Martin can catch pigeons.”

But what about the defence Johnny!

Martin Watson recalled his sudden promotion to the first team for a Steelmen match day programme in 2012. 

Martin Watson

"Pace was my main asset, my only one!" Martin joked. "Johnny Morris had been unhappy with Alex Harper's recent performances and the form of the first team altogether was decidedly inconsistent but there was no one more surprised than me when I was called up. What could have been in the manager's mind was that my pace would be too much for the Kettering left back, former Norwich City player Roy Lockwood who had shut Alex Harper out of the previous 'Derby' game. There was over 6,000 in the Rockingham Road ground and the crowd was right on the touchline. Playing for the reserves you were lucky if the proverbial one man and his dog turned up! I was a tad nervous but once the game started I was alright. I didn't notice the crowd really." 

What followed was a complete demolition of the Steelmen by a Hughie Morrow inspired Poppies. 

Martin; ”Lockwood was an experienced former league player and if truth was told, he was far too good for me. Kettering was far too good for us that day. We were hammered 5-1! And I never played for the first team again!”

‘The Friar’, writing in the Kettering based Evening Telegraph, could hardly hide his delight;

‘Due mainly to an exhibition of wing play rarely seen at this level by Kettering's Hughie Morrow, the Poppies were 4-0 up at half time. The tormentor in chief, Morrow constantly had the Steelmen defence tied in knots and laid on two of the four goals before adding a fifth himself. The Corby side should consider themselves fortunate that they got away with a four goal deficit". 

The Friar went on to praise Corby goalkeeper Pat Egglestone for some heroic saves and equally bemoan 'incredible' misses by the Kettering forward line. Likewise he ventured that Corby's forwards suffered from some 'unintelligent distribution from behind’ and 'a lack of power on the wings’.

So ended Martin Watson's dabble in the F.A.Cup, and the Steelmen's first team! It was back to the drawing board for Johnny Morris.

Steelmen celebrating a rare victory. Barry Parsons, John Rennie, Jimmy Adam, Alex Harper and Buddy Irving.

The next five games saw Johnny shuffle his pack again, four more defeats and another 16 goals debited! With Christmas on the horizon, Johnny was looking for some good will. Or a decent defence! A disastrous December, apart from an incredible disbelieving game against the Poppies, which saw the Steelmen thrash their neighbours 5-1, saw 24 more goals sailing into their net in five games, including back to back defeats against Headington United 7-3 and 6-2. 

What inspired the performance for the Kettering game one can only surmise. Revenge? Pissed off with the gloating of the Friar? For some reason it’s a game I recall, chiefly for being taken to the match by my dad! Now I can never recall my dad being the slightest bit interested in football! He did tell me he once went on the team bus to Scarborough in the Midland League days. Which I found hard to believe but he insisted it was true. But how? Or why? He was a workmate of ex Corby players Jim Strathie, Alex Wands and Ernie Middlemiss in the steelworks and whether they went for a piss up and a day out is open to conjecture. What I do remember about the Kettering 5-1 game is standing by the corner flag with my dad and his pals from the Bessemer, and everybody going crazy as the Steelmen tore into the Poppies. It was a hard game, and Kettering suffered injuries to a couple of their players, including their goalkeeper Roberts but that was no excuse, they were pummelled! Corby’s fans milked it, taunting the Poppies supporters with the anthemic ‘A Steelman Fae Me’ resonating around the ground. Ok I maybe embellishing that a bit but there was never any love lost between the two sets of supporters, even if many of them did work together in the steelworks! 

Indeed, Danny Coyle remembers being told his dad, John, an Irishman who later became famous as a porridge eating champion and mentioned by the Apollo 11 astronauts on their way to the moon, getting more and more irritated by abusive Kettering supporters standing behind him that game and snapped, turned round and banged two of their heads together! What ensued was a battle on the touchline as well as on the pitch! 

Alex Harper v Kettering

Disillusionment must have been festering with the Steelmen supporters, even today you can only put up with watching so much crap, but If you were looking for an alternative to the horror shows at Occupation Road in 58’, what better way was there than going to the Odeon Cinema round the corner to see more horror with ‘The Fly’, ‘The Blob’, ‘Dracula’ or ‘The Incredible Shrinking Man’?  

Don’t think it bothered us kids though all the same. Occupation Road was still a playground. Results didn’t matter! Running around, in and out of the holes in the back of the grandstand, treading on toes of agitated grumpy older fans, bumping into them as they supped their Oxo, being shouted at and told to ‘F--- Off!’ - it all went over our heads!

An accessory at football grounds back then was the Half Time Scoreboard. Corby’s was at the ‘Wall End’. The small terrace of railway sleepers behind the goal and in front of the huge Poplar trees with the Welfare Grounds at the rear. Picturesque the trees may have been but they served a great purpose in stopping many a wayward shot having been ballooned over the bar. The Scoreboard was a tantalising climbing frame for youngsters, an aid for hitching up to perch on the brick wall, until the health and safety merchants decided to cover it with broken glass! 

We didn’t take much notice of the series of letters on the board. Didn’t really get it. What were they supposed to indicate? Bemusing really. And even more so when not long after the start of the second half a guy would come round with a box of numbers to place against them! Only later when you picked up a discarded programme and discovered inside a list of games with letters against them did you understand. Under the banner - ‘Half Time Scores’. A - Liverpool v Chelsea, B - Northampton v Rochdale, C - Leicester v Preston ..and so on. Turns out, the scores were waited with great anticipation from the supporters, especially those who had filled in their Pools Coupon! “Bollocks’ would often be exclaimed if the  scores weren’t looking too fruitful at half time. 

Studfall 'B'

Meanwhile I was being noticed at school for being a half decent player on the football field and selected to play right half for Studfall ‘B’ away at the Cottingham village school one Saturday morning. Going there in a minibus made it feel even better. Proper football stuff! Our kit was pale green and white squared shirts and black shorts. The shirts were grubby, stank of body odour, hadn’t seen a washing machine for years, full of holes and were too big! The team included Ian Althorpe, John Raby, Michael Virgo, Robert Pinkerton, Joe Ashforth and others I can’t recall. The game was played literally on a cow field. Dollops of cowpat everywhere! Despite the fear of heading a ball with cow crap on, and the pong, it was a good game, ending in a 2-2 draw. 

The 58/59 season was drawing to a close, the Steelmen struggling along in the bottom half of the league, ensuring that they would be placed in the lower division of yet another revamp of the Southern League the following campaign. With a few blank Saturdays to fill in, it was a great surprise when it was announced in February that Bournemouth Reserves were visiting to play a Friendly. A bigger surprise was a raffle organised by the Ladies Section of the Supporters Club advertised on the front of the programme. ‘Win a brand new black Austin A50 car, fully taxed and insured - for just a 1/-‘ Which is 5p in new money. It was in aid of what they called the Peter McKay Fund, an attempt to fulfil the outstanding transfer fee owed to St.Mirren since the summer. The car was valued at £550. The draw was to be made on Easter Monday March 30th during half time of the Hereford United game.
The Bournemouth game was a fairly sedate affair which ended in a draw 2-2. Well, nobody wanted to break a leg I suspect but for us kids it was fascinating to see a Football League team, albeit the second string, at Occy Road. They even had a badge on their shirt! Big Time!

Bob -A Job Week. Corby Scouts Alan Sheffield (13), David Hay (12), Peter Martin (11) giving the A 50 car a makeover before handing it over to the winner who remains anonymous.

A couple of other games stick in my memory. Bath City came to town with the legendary former Blackpool and England centre forward Stan Mortensen, and a character called Charlie ‘Cannonball’ Fleming who was a famed Scottish international previously with Sunderland, threatening to cause havoc with the Steelmen defence. ‘Cannonball’ Fleming conjured up visions of a ‘Roy of the Rovers’ figure spearheading the Bath attack, a guy with fire in his boots, a shot like a bullet and one to keep your eye on if a wayward one came your way behind the goal! We feared this bloke! As it happened though, Cannonball was sidelined through a shoulder injury. All the same it was expected that Bath would rampage through the Steelmen. After all, in 52 games so far, Corby’s defence had let in 150 goals! Instead, it was  'tame', as the bored Evening Telgraph reporter described it. Maybe Bath and Morty in particular weren’t really interested. Like Roy Paul, Morty was ready to hang up his boots. The match was a typical end of season affair, a damp squib. Goals from reserve player George Wilson and a Johnny Morris penalty gave Corby the points, 2-0. 

Five days later on a wet miserable Friday night, the night before the Nottingham Forest v Luton Cup Final, Corby entertained another Welsh side, Merthyr Tydfil. 

The game was another typical end of season affair. I can still see myself standing alone behind the Occupation Road goal, leaning against the fence, shivering and wet through with the rain, wondering what the f--k I was doing there. A feeling I would experience many a time over the following decades! But you stick it out, never give up hope. And I can still see Johnny Morris sliding through the mud in the quagmire of a penalty area to guide the ball home for a 1-0 victory. 

Memories are made of this. The number one record this week was ‘A Fool Such As I’, Elvis Presley. Fairly appropriate you might add.