Corby Town 1 Coleshill Town 0 - Northern Premier League, Division One Midlands
Corby is a town in
Northamptonshire, located 23 miles north-east of Northampton. The Corby Pole
Fair is an annual event that has taken place every 20 years since 1862, in
celebration of a royal charter. The 1942 fair was not held due to the Second World
War; it took place five years later. The most recent pole fair was held on
Friday 3 June 2022, to coincide with The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
The town was at one time known as “Little Scotland” due to the large number of Scottish
workers who came to Corby for its steelworks.
The football club was established in 1948, taking
over from Stewarts & Lloyds as the main team in the town. The new team
contained a mix of Stewart & Lloyds and new players. Competing in the
United Counties League, the club won back-to-back league titles in 1950-51 and
1951-52, after which they joined the Midland League. Over the years the club
has also competed in the Southern League, Northern Premier League and
Conference North. Currently they play in the Northern Premier League, Division
One Midlands.
Having
played previously at Occupation Road and Rockingham Triangle (an athletics
stadium), the club moved to Steel Park in 2011. The football ground is adjacent to the athletics stadium, the town’s
rugby club also play a few hundred yards away and you pass that ground as you
approach Steel Park. This venue is on the edge of town. However, you
do not have to walk very far to find refreshment as there are a couple of
public houses close by.
The Samuel Lloyd
(JD Wetherspoon) on the Rockingham Leisure Park, was as far as I got on this
extremely hot day. My choice of Dancing Dragonfly (5%) from Pheasantry Brewery
(Nottinghamshire) proved sufficient and I followed this with more of the same,
ensuring ample hydration. This ale was so good that (unusually) I did not get
round to sampling the other guest beer on offer!
Steel Park is a decent ground for Level 8 in
English football. The main stand offers a superb view and on another day I
might have sat there. On this occasion I opted for the equally impressive James
Ashworth Stand behind one of the goals. This enormous raised terrace is dedicated
to a local lad posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross after being killed in
Afghanistan in 2012. The view from this stand was excellent and provided much
needed shelter from the scorching sun.
The remainder of the ground is open, the opposite
side to the main stand backs on to the rear of the stand at the athletics
stadium. There are two refreshment areas and a large clubhouse building at the
other end containing a spacious bar and function area. It was interesting to
see that Scotch Pies were on sale at the ground, but perhaps not surprising in
view of the town’s links to that part of the UK.
Full credit to all the players for even
attempting to play in the heat. The pitch was greener than I expected after
recent weeks and proved a good surface. Visitors Coleshill Town started
brightly and could have notched a couple of early goals. A red card for Corby
Town in the first period threatened to spoil their day, but in the second half
Man of the Match Tsaguim Florian scored the all-important goal. Sadly, already
on a yellow card he was subsequently dismissed on 90 minutes, when after a whistle, he kicked
the ball into the net. I guess it leaves a referee with little option, when being assessed, there is that added pressure.
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