Season 2 - December

December was upon us and i hoped we could shake of the blip in form we were having, just one point in our previous 3 games. I probably shouldn't be too worried though since the last 2 of those games we mor than doubled our opponents shots and were just a little unfortunate not to walk away with more. Anyway enough about last month, we had an away game to start the festive period. Our opponents today are Eastwood, a decent team who are underperforming so far this season in 18th place. We looked the better side from the kickoff, playing our usualcontrolling style of football. Michael Standing stepped up to take a free kick wide on the right just outside of their penalty area. rather than cross the ball as their defence expected he played it short to central defender Martyn Campbell who had time to shoot through the crowd of players and into the top corner past their blindsided keeper. We took the 1-0 lead into halftime allowing them just 2 shots on our goal so i was please with how we had played so far. The second half didn't go quite as planned, as they grabbed the equalizer on 55 minutes. We still looked the better team though but it seemed we would have to settle for the draw. It wasn't to be, as Timmons shot a 30 yard beauty in injury time to steal the game.



We hosted Rushden and Diamonds in the FA trophy 1st round, with them currently sitting in 4th place in the Blue Square Premier so i was not expecting us to fair well. We countered from the beginning and somehow went 2-0 thanks to Ben Wright on 23minutes and 1st half injury time to give us a suprise lead. Rushden got one back early in the second half with a Sam Smith goal and got the equaliser from a penalty, thanks to a soft call from the referee. We were left thinking about what could have been a nice upset, but would have to try again in the replay a few days later.



The replay could not have started better for us, we were up inside 2 minutes by virtue of a weak backpass totheir keeper. Craig King intercepted and shot into the empty net. We led at halftime and doubled our lead soon after, Ben Wright crossed from the left wing to Craig King who grabbed his second of the match on a nice counter attacking play. King got his hat-trick after 87 minutes before they got aconsolation goal in injury time. A shock 3-1 win for Corby and a nice viewing of what we are capable of if we can get promoted this season. One piece of bad news, starting right back Grant Gallacher is out for 7-8 weeks so Olly James will have to step up.



Our recent league form had left us in 2nd place, just ahead of our hosts 3rd place team Harrogate. It was a tight first half with few chances for either side, our best opportunites spurned by Ben Wright. Harrogate grabbed the lead with their first shot, from a corner kick. Rober Dale saved the day on 81 minutes when he finished a Kevin McCloskey pass off. Another game where we had way more chances to win the game than our opponents but couldn't, outshooting our counterparts 13 to 6...football can be a stressful game sometimes!



Our boxing day fixture was a home game against 12th place Redditch. We almost got an early lead but McCloskeys effort hit the bar in the first minute. They immediately got the ball down the other end of the pitch and scored, not the start we had in mind. Michael Standing got us back in it before half time finding some space out wide to shoot home from a narrow angle. It was a difficult match, Reddicth put up a good fight and probably deserved a point but it was out turn for some late dramatics. Ben Currie scored a sensatinoal long range effort on 90 minutes to get us all 3 points and break our 5 game winless streak.



The final game of the year pitted us against Chester who were the favourites win the league after they were relegated from the Blue Square Premier, but have been performing way below expectations sitting in 16th place. They must have been hungry to prove themselves as they ran up a 2-0 lead inside of 15 minutes causing me an unwanted headache. Craig King gave us a chance at getting something out of this one, with a powerful low struck shot that the keeper could not get to. The second half started great for us, King headed down a long ball into the path of fellow striker Ben Wright and he volleyed it in to make it 2-2. We had all the momentum now, firing off shot after shot at the Chester goalkeeper. We finished our superb comeback when they left Wright unmarked for a corner kick, and he does not waste opportunities like that , 3-2 to Corby!



We finished the year in 1st place with 42 points, 2 ahead of 2nd and 7 ahead of the last promotion place. The season is only halfway through and there is still a long and difficult 4 months of football ahead...hopefully we will be here at the end of the season.

Season 2 - November

I hoped we could follow up a great last month with a similar run of results in November, a month in which we would face some tricky opposition. First up we met Alfreton who are currently in 9th position. Corby had the early pressure and earned ourselves a 2 nil lead in almost no time. John MacBeth exploited the space he was given on the left flank and found Craig King for number one; the asisster turned scorer for the next goal as he whipped in a cross right at their keeper who got caught offguard and turned it into his own net. Alfreton piled the pressure on us in the second half but our defense and keeper held strong once again to clinch a 2-0 victory against last seasons promotion chasers. One piece of bad news is that we would be without Craig King for 2-4 weeks.



Our next league game was against 3rd place Bishop's Stortford. If we could win this game we would be able to extend a gap between us and the rest of the pack...a vital game. We almost went ahead on 12 minutes after McCloskey hit a rocket of a shot goalward but their goalkeeper somehow managed to tip it over the bar. We also had a penalty decision turned down after 19 minutes much to the dismay of my players who surrounded the referee but he was having none of it. Ben Wright had a wonderful volley saved just before the break so we ended the half 0-0. There were not too many chances on goal by either team in the first half and hopefully the second half would be an improvement. The 2nd half played out pretty much the same as the 1st half had until about 70 minutes when the game got a bit crazy. Bishop's Stortford took the lead from a direct free kick from a dangerous position on the edge of our box. We grabbed an equalizer from a corner kick, Ben Wright tapped it home after a scuffle in the area on 75 minutes. On 83 minutes they grabbed the lead back again although the replay showed that it looked like an offside, my defenders could not believe it. we lost a hard fought game that in all fairness probably should have been a draw.



The first FA Trophy match of the season for us was a home tie against non league Bedford in the 3rd qualifying round. We got an early lead, Micheal Standing found some space in their area and placed a shot past the keeper from 10 yards out. Although we had the lionshare of possession and chances on goal thats the way it stayed until 60 minutes. We doubled our lead after a Ben Wright pass caught their defense flat footed as Paul Currie ran through unopposed and curled a beauty around their outstrectched goalie. Bedford clawed one back against the run of play on 70 minutes but it turned out to be nothing more than consolation goal, the game finished 3-1 and Corby marched onto the next round of the competition.



Hopefully we could bounce back from a tough loss in that last league game as we hosted 11th placed Gainsborough. Before the game we were sitting 4 pts clear of second place with a game in hand after Bishop's Stortford (who beat us last in the last league game) could only manage a draw. This was a golden opportunity for us to put some distance between us and 2nd place. After 25 minutes of the game we had already carved out 8 shots on goal, i hope we wouldn't rue those missed chances. In first half injury time Gainsborough took the lead depite hardly having a sniff at goal thus far. I was a little miffed because we had 11 shots and they only had 3, of course it only takes 1 shot to score :( The lads came out fired up for the second half and we got a deserved equalizer from a Ben Wright free kick after 50 minutes. We continued to control the game but we couldn't make our possession count for more, we ended the game with 61%! The game ended in a 1-1 draw but there was no doubt who the happier team was with the point. We had 16 total shots while Gainsborough managed just 4, i guess as long as we continue to have this sort of dominance the results should take care of themselves.



We were still sitting pretty at the top of the league as 14th placed Blyth came to the Rockingham Triangle. The first shot of the game went in, unfortunately it was not for us and we found ourselves chasing the game right from the beginning. We looked the more dangerous team in front of our home fans but went into the break still searching for an elusive equalizer despite our stranglehold in this match. Robert Dale almost goton the scoresheet today but it was not our day as his volleyed effort just scraped over the bar, leaving us to wonder how we did not manage to get anything out of this one. Blyth had only 5 shots of which 2 were on target whilst we had 17 but could only get 4 on target. I was a little dissapointed with the amount of wasted shots we had but thats football.



With another month over we are still sitting in 1st place by 2 points. I have to say that I am a litle dissapointed though because we have only managed to get 1 point in the last 2 league games despite dominating both of them. If we won both of them like i think we deserved to we would have an 8 point lead...hopefully we can shake off the last couple of games and get back to winning ways.

Season 2 - October

The season was moving along and it was October before we knew it. Our first game of the month was a league encounter at home to Southport, who lost in the playoff final last year after being pipped to the title on the final game of the season. We came into the game with a perfect home record and Southport a 3 game unbeaten streak...so something had to give today. It was a fairly dull first half which ended 0-0, both teams having trouble getting chances at goal. It was a tight game but Corby got into it more in the second half. Craig King had a breakaway chance but their keeper saved the one on one to keep the score level. We finally broke the deadlock when Brian Gilfillan found himself in the right place at the right time to head home the winner from a Paul Currie corner kick.



We had a tricky FA cup 3rd qualifying round tie away to league leaders Bishops Stortford who are flying high after just getting promoted into our division. They looked dangerous infront of goal and we could consider ourselves lucky that their 10th minute goal was disallowed for being offside. We took the lead on 13 after jack Defty (only playing because starting strikers Wright and King are ineligible) latched onto a 25 yard long ball to give us a 1-0 lead that we took into halftime. To be truthful we were a little lucky to be winning, and Bishops Stortford got a deserved equalizer on 55 minutes from their troublesome striker Sheringham. Both teams had crucial chances for victory late on in the game; Robert Dale missed a one on one and just moments later our keeper Michael Dormand saved a penalty to keep the score level. It was a good game which could have gone either way but neither team could complain to much about the draw.



Just a few days later we played the replay, this time i hoped our fans could make the difference for us. It did not start out too well do us as Kevin McCloskey gave away possession cheaply and Ricky Holmes gave Bishop's Stortford the lead. It was a very entertaining match with several chances from both teams, the goalkeepers kept very busy today. We went into the break chasing the game 1-0 but we but up a good fight in the second half. Robert Dale had a nice opportunity to equalise on 53 but shot straight at the keeper. We started to dominate as the second half advanced on and finally got the equalizer when Diggin recieved a pass in the box and fired it into the corner of the net, 1-1. The match finished at 1-1 and it was onto a tense overtime. We passed the ball around despite our tired legs and looked like we could grab the winner. Our best chance of the first extra time period was wasted by Robert Dale as he again was denied by the keeper on a one on one breakaway. We pretty much camped out infront of their box during the second half of overtime but could not finish them off. We had 24 shots with 10 on target and they managed 8 shots with 3 on target all game, so we definetly had our chances to win this cup tie. We would have to hope that we could win it on penalties. As often seems to be the case the best team on the day did not win the shootout, it ended 4-2 to Bishop's Stortford.



We had to put that unlucky loss out of our minds and conentrate on our next league game. Our opponent for this away game was newly promoted Nuneaton Town, who have only won once this season and are in dead last. We controlled from the get go and it seemed to be only a matter of time until we would score. They were reduced to 10 men after 21 minutes worsening their chances to grab anything from the game. We had many chances but just couldn't hit the back of the net, although i had a feeling that if we could get one goal more would follow. Ben Wright finally got us going with a quality effort from the edge of the box. The 10 men of Nuneaton Town crumbled after the first goal went in, backup central defender Starkey getting on the scoresheet from a corner and then Craig King headed a Graham Tatters cross home to make it 3-0. Then Robert Dale got a much needed confidence boosting goal after he finished a nice one two move with Ben Wright to place a shot past their keeper. Ben Wright put the icing on the cake as he made it 5-0 thanks to a Brett Solkhorn pass.



Next up we hosted another struggling team, 21st placed Workington who were facing an injury crisis with 5 players out injured. We controlled the first half and got a derserved lead by virtue of a quickly taken Michael Standing corner kick finding Brett Solkhorn unmarked for an easy tap in for his first goal of the season. I was happy with our performance, that was until they equalised after we somehow left one of their players totally unmarked on an indirect free kick to let them back in the game cheaply. Fortunately Robert Dale saved the day when he got us an injury time winner after some left wing trickery by McCloskey to give us the 2-1 victory.



We finished October by travelling to 18th place Worchester. It was a good away display by my lads the highlight of the first half a McCloskey through ball that found Ben Wright who managed to turn their last defender and power a shot past their helpless keeper. We continued to look comfortable in the second half and got a second when Craig King chested down a McCloskey cross (his second assist of the game) and shoot into the roof of the net. Another quality Corby performance showing that we were dangerous both at home and on the road.



October was a great month for our promotion aspirations, as we looked impressive in all of our league outings. We have a 5 point lead over 2nd place and are 8 points clear of the last playoff position. I won the manager of the month award for guiding us upto 1st place winning all four league games managining to score 10 times and only conceding 1 goal. I was particularly impressed by our stingy defence, we had so far only allowed about a goal every 2 games.

Season 2 - September

September would begin with an important away game at undefeated Braintree, who are sitting in second place on goal difference just one point ahead of us. They have a very tough defense so far, and haven't conceded a goal in 279 minutes. As expected the game was a close affair with very few opportunities early on. They came closest in the early going with a free kick that hit the bar from 30 yards out. Just when it seemed the half would end in a nil-nil stalemate Craig King played a poor pass back to our defense and their young striker Bolger picked up the ball and shot pass our goalie to give them a 1-0 lead at the break. The momentum was in Corbys favor for much of the second half, and we had several chances to score. Perhaps we would have even been ahead but their goalkeeper was earning his pay today by keeping his team ahead. We fought hard to peg them back and scored with just minutes remaining, only for the ref to call it offside, leaving my players insensed about the decision. It looked like we had lost this one, but lady luck shined on us as we profited from an error on their part. Micheal Standing curled in a corner towards the front post and their scorer Bolger tried to clear it from danger but the ball skimmed off the top of his head and into his own teams goal. A bit fortunate perhaps, but a fair result in the end.



After the late drama of the last game i hoped we could continue the good run of form into the next game as we hosted 6th place Solihull who beat us both times last season. It was a clse game with both teams looking like they could score. Fortunately we did thanks to a McCloskey through ball for Craig King to put away on 37 minutes. Michael Standing doubled our lead minutess later after left back Graham Tatters crosse over a nice ball for him to place in the back of the net. After the break we kept our composure and defended the lead well, giving them few chances to get back in it. Our better quality of possession paid dividends in this victory.



Just 3 days later we travelled to 16th place Stalybridge. These are the type of games we would need to win over the season if we are to gain promotion, something we did not do enough of last season. We got an early goal with a Robert Dale penalty and ended the half 1-0 up. Craig King had a nice headed goal denied for offide after the restart but it didnt matter as one goal was enough to take home all 3 points. After this victory we climbed upto the top of the table on goal difference.



On to our first foray into the FA Cup, a 2nd round qualifying round game at home to non league Waltham Abbey. My starting strikers are both ineligible so i looked to Robert Dale who has not really got going yet after his pre-season injury, and Jack Defty. The underdogs took a shock lead from their first effort, a volley from a corner kick. Jack Defty pulled us level soon after to reduce the chances of an upset. He grabbed his second of the game later on in the half, this time from a corner kick which he headed home. Waltham Abbey tried to take the game to us after the break but we got a third to remove any doubt from sub striker Diggin, who latched onto a long ball to finish of a nice counter attacking move and give Corby the 3-1 win.



Back to the league once again, as we travelled to struggling Vauxhall who are sitting in 16th place but have a much better squad than their lowly position would suggest. We got off to a bad start, conceding a goal within 10 minutes from the opening kickoff. We had opportunities of our own from King but their goalkeeper made an excellent save, and from Ben Wright who managed to beat the keeper but not the post as his effort rebounded to safety. The second half was ours for the taking but a 30 yard strike from them against the run of play put the game out of reach. We had a similar amonut of shots as Vauxhall but our finishing infront of goal cost us a share of the points.

With that loss we ended the month in 4th place only 2 points behind first placed Bishop's Stortford, with the top two still undefeated after 9 games.

Season 2 - August

The media gave us odds of 20-1 for the title this season, saying that while we were not favourites we should be lingering around the top half of the table most of the season. The board agreed, but i want to at least reach the playoffs this time around after getting so close last year. We had 5 games scheduled for August and i wanted to get some early momentum for what i hope will be a successful season.

We opened our season with a home game against newly promoted Nantwich Town. I was looking forwards to getting the season started in a positive manner in spite of the fact that last years top scorer Robert Dale would be out of action for a month due to a pre-season injury. That left the task of scoring upto my pair of loanee strikers Craig King and Ben Wright. I was pleased with the start we made, we looked comfortable on the ball as we passed and probed the ball around the field looking for opportunities on goal. Our first goal of the season capped off a nice move that was started on the left touchline by John MacBeth who found Michael Standing with space in centerfield who fed a first touch through ball for Craig King to slot home on 38 minutes. Nantwich did not manage a single shot on goal on before halftime and they continued to struggle as we dominated them all over the pitch. The score should have been much higher than the final 1-0 result showedbut we could not turn or 18 shots into more goals. Either way its still a win and a nice way to start the season.



Next up was the first away game for us as we faced last seasons 11th placed team Hyde. We took the bull by the horns in this one, almost scoring after 19 minutes when Ben Wright powered a shot that rattled the crossbar. We finally did take the lead after continued pressure when Paul Currie broke down the right wing and passed to the edge of the box for Ben Wright to slot home. Craig King had a chance to double Corbys lead just minutes later but his effort hit the post so we took a 1-0 lead into halftime. We continued to control the game and got a deserved second with a 25 yard scorcher from Paul Currie just after the hour. Hyde never looked threatening, and we could have scord a third on 80 after Ben Wright threatened their goal again as he hit the post from a direct free kick. A well earned 2-0 away victory to Corby.



We entertained Ilkeston, last seasons 4th place finishers at the Rockingham Triangle in a game which would be an early example of our chances for promotion. First blood went to Corby as Craig King took advantage of a quality Ben Wright pass after only 10minutes. It was a back and forth match, with the pivotal moment of the game coming after we were awarded a dubious penalty. Right winger Paul Currie stepped up to give us the 2-0 lead at halftime. Ilkeston tried to get back into the game but we hassled well and did not allow them many chance to do so. They did pull one back after 84 from a corner but it was just a consolation goal as we held them of for the win, 2-1.



We took our 100% record to Fleetwood who were continuing to be one of the better teams just like last season. Their pacey strikeforce was giving us trouble and they took a deserved lead on 35 with a goal from in form striker Daniel Nardiello. At halftime i told the lads we could win this game, and they tried their best to find an equaliser. Captain Brett Solkhorn had the pick of our chances but unfortunately shot straight at the keeper. A 1-0 loss, our first defeat of the season.



Our final game of the month would be at home to Droylsden who are dead last in 22nd and winless so far. This should be the perfect team for us to play to get back to winning ways. We got a goal from Craig King on 14 minutes and never looked back from there. Kevin McCloskey doubled our lead on 25 before defender Brian Gilfillan scored from a corner to give us a comfortable 3-0 lead at the break. Droyslden scored a penalty just after the restart but we went goal crazy after that. Ben Wright grabbed himself a nice solo goal on 56 minutes, and Brian Gilfillan got his second of the game to make it 5-1. Craig King was ran their defence ragged today, getting 2 late goals to complete his hat-trick. The final score was 7-1, a league record for the highest scoring game!



August ended with Corby in 3rd place and just 1 point hehind joint leaders newly promoted Bishop's Stortford and Braintree. We also got our first accolade of the season as central defender Brian Gilfillan earned the player of the month award with 2 goals and an average rating of 7.54.

Season 2 Pre-season

Hello again :) and welcome to the start of my second season in charge of Corby Town. The squad returned from vacation looking much different from that which ended last season in 8th place just outside of the playoffs. Alot of my team had contracts expiring so i decided to just keep those key players to my starting eleven and allow the backups to leave so that my wage budget could be kept to a minimum. This allowed some more wiggle room with which to bring in new talent for the upcoming season. With all of the expiring players and the incoming youth players (none of which were decent enough to make the team) released we had a squad of just 14 players.

I had to bring in quite a few players to make sure we could compete but since money was tight the board did not allow me any money in the transfer kitty, so it was much the same as last season with free transfers and loans. Here's a list of everyone who joined us over pre-season:

Martyn Campbell - Will be used in central defense to play alongside defensive mainstay from last season Brian Gilfillan. The 29 year old has previous playing experience with Ayr in the scottish second division.



Paul Currie - Bought in as backup for the right wing slot usually occupied by Michael Standing who will also be used in central midfield when neccessary for injuries and when others are in need of a rest. The scot had a successful spell on loan last season at Berwick in the scottish third division before we picked him up on a free transfer.



Grant Gallacher - The 19 year old will be competing at right back with Olly James who returns from last season. The youngster was released be Celtic after he did not make the grade.



Craig King - One of my two season long loans, will be expected to help last years top goalscorer Robert Dale with the goalscroring burden.



Hector Mackie - Youngster who was bought in from Blue Square South side Weymouth and has alot of experience in the lower leagues of england despite being just 22. Will start at left wing.



John MacBeth - Expected to offer backup to Mackie for the left wing position. Has previous experience with several lower league scottish clubs.



Ben Wright - If you've read the preious posts you will recognize him from last season. Brought in to play up front along with new fellow loanee King and last years star Robert Dale. Did well for us last season with 15 goals and 4 assists in 36 appearances.



We played several pre-season friendlies to whip the boys into shape. We played against weaker opposition than we will be facing week in week out in the league but it has hopefully helped the team to gel together faster than last seasons opening games where we struggled to get out of the gate. I won't go into much detail with the result but we were undefeated and looked impressive, allowing just one goal.

Season 1 Part 4

Hi and welcome back to The Corby story. Last time round we had some good form at the end of the year but suffered a bit from those pesky new years jitters. Im hoping we can shake it off and challenge for promotion as we are sitting in a decent position just a few points behind 1st place.

It was 5th verus 3rd as we played against Solihull, who beat us in a close one last time around. We had a chance to take an early lead but hit the bar on 6 minutes, and then fell behind to a 14th minute effort that my defenders thought was offside. We went in at the break 1-0 down and it got worse soon after the restart as central defender Brian Gilfillan made a rare mistake to gift them a 2 goal lead. We tried to reduce the deficit but could not work any magic in this one and it stayed 2-0 to the home team.



We had to pick ourselves up from that last result a few days ago when we travelled to Eastwood who were winning the league not so long ago but now languishing in 13th place. We got an early goal from loan striker Ben Wright who could have made it 2 but for an excellent save from their goalkeeper to keep them in it. We again lost a lead just after the second half started when they got back i the game with a goal on 50 minutes from a corner kick. It went from bad to worse at right back Paul Mayo was sent off on 65 for a second yellow card offence. We did our best to hold them off but they broke us late on to snatch it 2-1.



We now had a home against league leaders Southport who are top by 3 points. We needed a win as we were down to 9th place, we got one but i could never have expected to guess the result in a million years! They were down to 10 men for a professional foul just 3 minutes in, and Robert Dale put away the penalty to give us the lead. He scored his second of the game after 5 minutes, his 10th of the season since he joined Corby. Dale got his hat-trick on 14 after a ncie Solkhorn pass put him through one on one with the keeper. We were really coasting against the league leaders now and scored two more before half-time with a Ben Wright double..5-0! Our scoring was not done yet though, and neither was Robert Dale as he scored on 61 minutes and in injury time to grab himself 5 goals for the day (a club and league record) as we ran riot in this one winning 7-0...the stuff dreams are made of!



I hoped we could follow on from that historic win against lowly 17th placed Vauxhall. We had more chances at goal but could not conjure up any of the magic from the previous game, and it unfortunately this one ended in a 0-0 stalemate. At least we did not lose any ground on those above us as there were lots of draws in this weeks fixtures.



It is getting to be crunch time now with just 6 games to go in the league season. We are at home to mid table Hyde and just 4 points behind the last promotion spot. Robert Dale got on the scoresheet once again after he pounced on a McCloskey shot that their keeper could not hold onto. We led 1-0 at halftime and were in control of the game. I had to sub out our top goalscorer Robert Dale on 57 minutes due to injury, i hope it is just a short term knock as we will need his goalscring presence down the final stretch. His replacement Jack Defty put us 2 -0 up after putting away a cross from right winger Standing after the hour. They clawed one back but we held on for a win to keep us in touch of the pack. Unfortunately after the physio had looked more at Robert Dales injury he would be ruled out for 8 weeks to 2 months which is the rest of the season. This is a huge blow to our promotion chances and i hope we can manage to stay in contention without him.



We travelled to 18th placed Redditch who were 13 games without a win so we should be able to get an easy 3 points in the bag and move closer to those promotion spots. We played terribly in this one and got exactly what we deserved...nothing. Redditch led 2-0 at halftime and dominated the game from start to finish.



I consider every game from on asmust win if we are to reach my aim of getting into the playoffs. Gloucester was our opponent today, in 14th in the table with little to play for but pride. Gloucester took a lead early on with a cracker from 25 yards out and we could have tied it up before halftime but Ben Wrights shot cannoned off the crossbar. I upped the tempo and it seemed to work as we began to gain the lionshare of goal chances for the rest of the game. Our persistance paid off as sub striker Steve Diggin headed one home from a Steve Towers cross. The game ended 1-1 which i guess was not too bad since we were on the road.



We are currently in 9th and hosted 7th place Alfreton knowing that these are the games we must win to have any chance of sneaking into the playoff with only 4 games left. It was 0-0 at halftime but held them to no shots at all so far and should probably have been leading after wasting some good goalscoring opportunities, if only Dale wsa not injured im sure he would have scored one of them. Alfreton took the lead on a breakaway, dissapointing since they have only had a few chances thus far. Diggin saved the day for us again with a late equaliser but they could not have any arguments to be honest as we were the better team on the day. Only wins are good enough for us now as with this draw our chances of making the playoffs are slim.



We were at home to Stalybridge who are in 17th and have nothing to play for since they are well clear of relegation. They hammered us 3-0 the first time we met so i wanted revenge in this crucial match. We are 4 points behind 5th with 3 games to go, we must find a way to win to keep our dreams alive. We played with fire in our bellies but went into the break tied at 0-0. Wright almost gave us the lead after 54 minutes when his header from a cross just skimmed over the bar by a whisker. Our dreams went up in flames when they got us with a suckerpunch goal from basically their only chance of the entire game. It was a dissapointing 1-0 loss as we deserved at least a draw from this one.



we have to travel to 4th placed Telford with us now 6 points behind the last promotion spot. The only way we can make it now is by our better goal difference so as unlikely as it is if we win today we are still not totally out of the race yet. It was a tight game with neither team giving up much in midfield as you might expect from two teams so close together at this point of the season. I risked it and pushed at them with everything we had and it paid off as Ben Wright grabbed us all 3 points by virtue of an 83rd minute goal.



Our final game of the season would be infront of the Corby faithful as we played Farsley who are sitting dead last in the table and have been doomed for relegation a longtime since they started with minus 10 points due to financial irregularities. I know that our fate was out of our own hands as we needed the 3 teams above us to all lose but i guess stranger things have been known to happen in the beautiful game. All i could hope for was that we would at least do our part by winning our game and just wait to see if it was good enough. We got the lead before half time with a Solkhorn headed goal to lead at halftime 1-0. Our chances of winning improved as they were reduced to 10 men just before the hour which allowed the floodgates to open. We ended up winning 4-0 after Strachan, Diggin and Wright all got on the scoresheet. Not a bad way to end the season :)



Unfortunately we did not manage to sneak into the playoffs as i had hoped but there were many positives for the season. We finished in 8th place just 3 points behind the final playoff spot at 12 behind eventual winners Hinckley who snuck the automatic place on the final day of the season. We had the 5th most goals, the 2nd least allowed and tied for best goal difference. Hopefully if i can bring in some new talent we can push for the league title.



Here is Corbys form over the season if your interested. You can see that after a rough start we had our moments but just fell a little short when it mattered most at the end of the season. Most of my regular starting 11 had an average rating very near or over 7 so weplayed pretty well overall. A few people who did particularly well are Robert Dale who finished one goal away from being the leagues top scorer, earning himself a place on the league player of the year shortlist, as well as my captain Brett Solkhorn who had the highest average rating with a 7.17 and was the fans player of the season.