Corby Town Football Club is a
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
club based in
Corby
Corby is a town in North Northamptonshire, England, located north-east of Northampton. From 1974 to 2021, the town served as the administrative headquarters of the Borough of Corby. At the 2011 Census, the built-up area had a population of 5 ...
,
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire (; abbreviated Northants.) is a county in the East Midlands of England. In 2015, it had a population of 723,000. The county is administered by
two unitary authorities: North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. It is ...
, England. They are currently members of the and play at Steel Park.
History
The club was established in 1948, taking over from
Stewarts & Lloyds as the main team in the town. The new team contained a mix of Stewarts & Lloyds and new players,
[Dave Twydell (2001) ''Denied F.C.: The Football League election struggles'' Yore Publications, pp66–67] and took over from Stewarts and Lloyds in the
United Counties League
The United Counties League (also known after its sponsor as the ''Uhlsport United Counties League'') is an English football league covering Northamptonshire, Rutland and Bedfordshire and most of Leicestershire as well as parts of Buckinghamshi ...
.
[United Counties League 1934-1970]
Non-League Matters Their first league match saw them win 5–1 against
Wellingborough Town
Wellingborough Town F.C. is a football club based in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, England. They play in the United Counties Premier Division. The club was formed in 2004 after the previous club bearing the name had folded.
History
The ori ...
.
[ They went on to win back-to-back league titles in 1950–51 and 1951–52, after which they joined the ]Midland League
The Midland Football League is an English football league that was founded in 2014 by the merger of the former Midland Alliance and Midland Combination. The league has four divisions that sit at levels 9–12 of the football pyramid.
History
T ...
as it was expanded to 24 clubs,[Midland Counties League 1934-1958]
Non-League Matters with the reserve team taking the club's place in the United Counties League.[ Having signed sixteen new players, many of whom had played in the ]Football League
The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...
,[ they went into the final match of the season on 1 May 1953 sitting level at the top of the table with ]Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. Nottingham Forest was founded in 1865 and have been playing their home games at the City Ground, on the banks of the River Tren ...
reserves, who were the visitors to Corby for the final match.[ In front of a crowd of 6,294,][ Corby lost the match and Forest reserves won the title by two points.][ In 1954–55 the club reached the first round of the ]FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
for the first time, losing 2–0 at home to Watford
Watford () is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, 15 miles northwest of Central London, on the River Colne.
Initially a small market town, the Grand Junction Canal encouraged the construction of paper-making mills, print works, a ...
.
In 1958 Corby transferred to the Southern League, spending their first season in the North-Western Division, before being placed in Division One for the 1959–60 season.[ Despite only finishing sixth in 1961–62, Corby applied for election to the Football League.][ However, they failed to receive a single vote.][ After finishing seventh the following season the club applied again, and again received no votes.][ In 1963–64 they reached the first round of the FA Cup for a second time, losing 3–1 at home to ]Bristol City
Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England, which compete in the , the second tier of English football. They have played their home games at Ashton Gate since moving from St John's Lane in 1904. The ...
. They appeared in the first round again the following season, losing 3–1 at home to Hartlepools United
Hartlepool United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Hartlepool, County Durham, England. The team competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system.
They were founded in 1908 as Har ...
.[ The season also saw them finish fourth in Division One, earning promotion to the Premier Division,][ as well as making another failed bid for Football League membership.][
In 1965–66 Corby progressed beyond the first round of the FA Cup for the first time; after beating non-League ]Burton Albion
Burton Albion Football Club is a professional association football club in the town of Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, England. The team compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. The club moved its home groun ...
6–3 in the first round, they won 1–0 at Luton Town
Luton Town Football Club () is a professional association football club based in the town of Luton, Bedfordshire, England, that competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1885, it is nicknam ...
in a second round replay after the first match ended 2–2. In the third round they were beaten 6–0 at Plymouth Argyle
Plymouth Argyle Football Club is a professional football club based in the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. As of the 2021–22 season, the team are competing in League One, the third tier of English football. They have played at Home Park, ...
.[ The club applied for Football League membership for a fourth time, and for the first time received a single vote for their unsuccessful bid.][ The club made their final application in 1966–67, again receiving no votes.][ The following season saw another FA Cup first round appearance (a 1–0 defeat at ]Boston United
Boston United Football Club is a semi-professional association football club based in Boston, Lincolnshire, England. The club participates in the National League North, at the sixth tier of the English football league system. The club is known ...
) but ended in relegation to Division One.[ In 1971 the club were placed in Division One North after league reorganisation. Further reorganisation in 1979 and 1982 saw them placed in the Midland Division and then the Premier Division.
Corby remained in the Premier Division until being relegated at the end of the 1989–90 season, but made an immediate return to the Premier Division after finishing as Division One Midlands runners-up in 1990–91. After finishing bottom of the Premier Division in 1994–95, the club were relegated again. In 1998 they were moved to the Division One South, and then were placed in Division One East for the 1999–2000 season. After being transferred to Division One West in 2004, they were moved back to Division One East the following season. In 2005–06 they finished second, and were promoted to the Premier Division.][ The 2008–09 season saw Corby win the Premier Division, earning promotion to the ]Conference North
The National League North, formerly Conference North, is a division of the National League in England, immediately below the National League division. Along with the National League South, it is at the second level of the National League Sy ...
.[ In 2010–11 the club reached the first round of the FA Cup for the first time since the 1960s, losing 4–2 to Luton Town in a replay.][ They appeared in the first round again the following season, losing 3–1 at ]Bristol Rovers
Bristol Rovers Football Club are a professional football club in Bristol, England. They compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system.
They play home matches at the Memorial Stadium in Horfield, they have been c ...
.[
After four seasons in the Conference North, Corby were relegated at the end of the 2012–13 season. They were Southern League Premier Division champions again in 2014–15 and were promoted back to the renamed National League North. However, another relegation in 2015–16 saw the club relegated to the Premier Division of the ]Northern Premier League
The Northern Premier League is an English football league that was founded in 1968. It has four divisions: the Premier Division (which stands at level 7 of the English football league system), Division One East, Division One West and Divisio ...
.[ The club were transferred to Division One East of the Southern League at the end of the 2017–18 season as part of the restructuring of the non-League pyramid. The following season saw the club transferred to Division One Central of the Southern League. At the end of the 2020–21 season they were transferred to Division One Midlands of the Northern Premier League.
]
Ground
The club originally played at Occupation Road. Floodlights were installed in 1958.[Club History]
Corby Town F.C. At the time it had a capacity of 14,000, including 6,000 under covered terraces.[ The ground was sold to developers in 1985. The club subsequently moved to an athletics stadium at the Rockingham Triangle sports complex.]
Pyramid Passion The new ground was opened on 6 September 1985 by Neil Kinnock
Neil Gordon Kinnock, Baron Kinnock (born 28 March 1942) is a British former politician. As a member of the Labour Party, he served as a Member of Parliament from 1970 until 1995, first for Bedwellty and then for Islwyn. He was the Leader of ...
and featured a cantilever stand with a seated capacity of around 1,000.[ In 2011, the club moved to Steel Park, built adjacent to the athletics stadium, with the first match played at the new ground on 25 July 2011, a 2–0 win over ]Notts County
Notts County Football Club is a professional association football club based in Nottingham, England. The team participate in the National League (division), National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. Founded on the 2 ...
.[Steel Park]
Corby Town F.C. It has a capacity of 3,893, of which 577 are seated.[
]
Managerial history
*Reg Smith
James Christopher Reginald Smith (20 January 1912 – 6 January 2004), was an English footballer and manager, who played Outside left (the pre-modern day equivalent of left wing).
Playing career
The son of a South African rugby union intern ...
(1948)
* Wally Akers (1950–1958)
*Johnny Morris Johnny or Johnnie Morris may refer to:
* Johnnie Morris (actor) (1887–1969), American comedian and actor
*Johnny Morris (television presenter) (1916–1999), British television presenter
*Johnny Morris (footballer) (1923–2011), English football ...
(1958–1961)
*Tommy Hadden (1961–1968)
*Eric Caldow
Eric Caldow (14 May 1934 – 4 March 2019) was a Scottish professional association football, footballer, who played for Rangers F.C., Rangers, Stirling Albion F.C., Stirling Albion and Scotland national football team, Scotland. Caldow played as ...
(1968–1969)
*George Swindin (1969–1970)
*Derek Race (1970–1971)
*Tommy Hadden (1971–1972)
*Ken Burton (1972–1974)
*Mick Blick (1974–1975)
* John Mackin (1975–1977)
*John Loughlan
John Loughlan (born 12 June 1943 in Coatbridge, Scotland) is a Scottish former professional footballer who played in the Football League and Scottish League as a left back for Leicester City, Greenock Morton, Crystal Palace and Wrexham. He al ...
(1977–1978)
*Don Martin (1978–1979)
*Matt McIlwain (1979–1981)
*Gordon Livsey
Gordon William Livsey (born 24 January 1947) is an English former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper in the Football League for Wrexham, Chester and Hartlepool United
Hartlepool United Football Club is a professional assoc ...
(1981–1982)
* Colin Clarke (1982)
*Harry Fallon (1982–1983)
*Malcolm Hird (1983)
*John Flannagan (1983–1986)
*Colin Foster (1986–1987)
*Ray O’Brien (1987–1989)
*Elwyn Roberts (1989–1994)
*
*Ian Allinson (1994)
* Steve Buckley (1994)
* Pat Rayment (1994–1995)
*
*Paul Fitzpatrick (1996)
*Simon Mason (1996–1997)
* Ian Benjamin (1997–1998)
*Peter Dowsing (1998–1999)
*Lee Adam (1999–2000)
*Eddie McGoldrick
Edward John Paul McGoldrick (born 30 April 1965) is an Irish football coach and former professional footballer who is currently the foundation academy manager of Premier League club Crystal Palace.
As a player he was a winger and central mid ...
(2000–2001)
*Wayne Spencer (2001–2002)
*Rob Dunion (2002)
* Lee Glover (2003–2004)
*Rob Dunion (2004–06)
*Dougie Keast (2006)
* Kevin Wilson (2007)
*Graham Drury (2008–2012)
* Ian Sampson (2012)
*Chris Plummer
Christopher Scott Plummer (born 12 October 1976) is an English association football, football manager and former professional player. He is currently assistant manager of Scunthorpe United F.C., Scunthorpe United.
Playing career
Plummer playe ...
(2012–2013)
* Tommy Wright (2013–2016)
* Gary Mills (2016–2017)
* David Bell (2017)
* Steven Kinniburgh (2017–2019)
*Ash Robinson, Gary Mulligan (2019–2020)
* Mark Peters (2020)
* Tommy Wright (2020)
* Gary Mills (2020–2022)
*Lee Attenborough (2022–)
Honours
*Southern League
**Premier Division champions 2008–09, 2014–15
*United Counties League
**Champions 1950–51, 1951–52
*Northamptonshire Senior Cup
The NFA Hillier Senior Cup is a football knockout tournament involving teams from Northamptonshire, England and the surrounding area. It is a County Cup competition of the Northamptonshire Football Association and involves senior non-league t ...
**Winners 1950–51, 1962–63, 1975–76, 1982–83, 2009–10, 2012–13[Honours]
Club History
Records
*Best FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
performance: Third round, 1965–66[
*Best ]FA Trophy
The Football Association Challenge Trophy, commonly known as the FA Trophy, is a men's football knockout cup competition run by and named after the English Football Association and competed for primarily by semi-professional teams. The compet ...
performance: Third round, 1986–87, 2009–10[
*Record attendance: 2,240 vs ]Watford
Watford () is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, 15 miles northwest of Central London, on the River Colne.
Initially a small market town, the Grand Junction Canal encouraged the construction of paper-making mills, print works, a ...
, 1986–87[
*Most appearances: Derek Walker, 601][
*Most goals: David Hofbauer, 159 (1984–1995)][
*Record transfer fee paid: £2,700 to ]Barnet
Barnet may refer to:
People
*Barnet (surname)
* Barnet (given name)
Places United Kingdom
*Chipping Barnet or High Barnet, commonly known as Barnet, one of three focal towns of the borough below.
*East Barnet, a district of the borough below; an ...
for Elwun Edwards, 1982[Mike Williams & Tony Williams (2012) ''Non-League Club Directory 2013'', p193 ]
*Record transfer fee received: £20,000 from Oxford United
Oxford United Football Club is a professional football club in the city of Oxford, England. The team plays in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. The chairman is Grant Ferguson, the manager is Karl Robinson and t ...
for Matt Murphy, 1993[
]
See also
*Corby Town F.C. players
Corby is a town in North Northamptonshire, England, located north-east of Northampton. From 1974 to 2021, the town served as the administrative headquarters of the Borough of Corby. At the 2011 United Kingdom census, 2011 Census, the built-up ...
* Corby Town F.C. managers
References
External links
Official website
{{coord, 52, 30, 28.390, N, 0, 42, 59.954, W, region:GB_type:landmark, display=title
Football clubs in England
Football clubs in Northamptonshire
Association football clubs established in 1948
1948 establishments in England
United Counties League
Midland Football League (1889)
Southern Football League clubs
National League (English football)
Northern Premier League clubs