Corby Town F.C.
Corby Town Football Club is a football club based in Corby, Northamptonshire, 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, and took over from Stewarts and Lloyds in the United Counties League. Their first league match saw them win 5β1 against Wellingborough Town. They went on to win back-to-back league titles in 1950β51 and 1951β52, after which they joined the Football League (1889)|Midland League] as it was expanded to 24 clubs, 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, they went into the final match of the season on 1 May 1953 sitting level at the top of the table with Nottingham Forest 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 1954β55 the club reached the first round of the FA Cup for the first time, losing 2β0 at home to Watford.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 1959β60 season. Despite only finishing sixth in 1961β62, 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 1963β64 they reached the first round of the FA Cup for a second time, losing 3β1 at home to Bristol City. They appeared in the first round again the following season, losing 3β1 at home to Hartlepools United. 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 1965β66 Corby progressed beyond the first round of the FA Cup for the first time; after beating non-League Burton Albion 6β3 in the first round, they won 1β0 at Luton Town in a second round replay after the first match ended 2β2. In the third round they were beaten 6β0 at Plymouth Argyle. 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 1966β67, again receiving no votes. The following season saw another FA Cup first round appearance 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 1989β90 season, but made an immediate return to the Premier Division after finishing as Division One Midlands runners-up in 1990β91. After finishing bottom of the Premier Division in 1994β95, 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 1999β2000 season. After being transferred to Division One West in 2004, they were moved back to Division One East the following season. In 2005β06 they finished second, and were promoted to the Premier Division. The 2008β09 season saw Corby win the Premier Division, earning promotion to the Conference North. In 2010β11 the club reached the first round of the FA Cup for the first time since the 1960s, losing 4β2 to Luton Town in a replay. They appeared in the first round again the following season, losing 3β1 at Bristol Rovers.
After four seasons in the Conference North, Corby were relegated at the end of the 2012β13 season. They were Southern League Premier Division champions again in 2014β15 and were promoted back to the renamed National League North. However, another relegation in 2015β16 saw the club relegated to the Premier Division of the Northern Premier League. The club were transferred to Division One East of the Southern League at the end of the 2017β18 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 2020β21 season they were transferred to Division One Midlands of the Northern Premier League. The club were runners-up in the division in 2024β25, qualifying for the promotion play-offs. After beating Long Eaton United 1β0 in the semi-finals, they were beaten 2β1 by Worcester City in the final.
Ground
The club originally played at Occupation Road. Floodlights were installed in 1958. 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. The new ground was opened on 6 September 1985 by Neil Kinnock 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 2β0 win over Notts County. It has a capacity of 3,893, of which 577 is seated.Managerial history
- Reg Smith
- Wally Akers
- Johnny Morris
- Tommy Hadden
- Eric Caldow
- George Swindin
- Derek Race
- Tommy Hadden
- Ken Burton
- Mick Blick
- John Mackin
- John Loughlan
- Don Martin
- Matt McIlwain
- Gordon Livsey
- Colin Clarke
- Harry Fallon
- Malcolm Hird
- John Flannagan
- Colin Foster
- Ray OβBrien
- Elwyn Roberts
- Ian Allinson
- Steve Buckley
- Pat Rayment
- Paul Fitzpatrick
- Simon Mason
- Ian Benjamin
- Peter Dowsing
- Lee Adam
- Eddie McGoldrick
- Wayne Spencer
- Rob Dunion
- Lee Glover
- Rob Dunion
- Dougie Keast
- Kevin Wilson
- Graham Drury
- Ian Sampson
- Chris Plummer
- Tommy Wright
- Gary Mills
- David Bell
- Steven Kinniburgh
- Ash Robinson, Gary Mulligan
- Mark Peters
- Tommy Wright
- Gary Mills
- Lee Attenborough
- Gary Setchell
Honours
- Southern League
- *Premier Division champions 2008β09, 2014β15
- United Counties League
- *Champions 1950β51, 1951β52
- Northamptonshire Senior Cup
- *Winners 1950β51, 1962β63, 1975β76, 1982β83, 2009β10, 2012β13
Records
- Best FA Cup performance: Third round, 1965β66
- Best FA Trophy performance: Third round, 1986β87, 2009β10
- Record attendance:
- *At Occupation Road: 10,239 vs Peterborough United, FA Cup third qualifying round, 1952β53
- *At Steel Park: 2,766 vs Worcester City, Northern Premier League Division One Midlands play-off final, 3 May 2025
- Biggest win: 14β0 vs Gainsborough Trinity, 1956β57
- Heaviest defeat: 10β0 vs Paget Rangers, 1995β96
- Most appearances: Derek Walker, 601
- Most goals: David Hofbauer, 159
- Youngest player: Jimmy Lemond, 15 years, 224 days
- Record transfer fee paid: Β£2,700 to Barnet for Elwun Edwards, 1982
- Record transfer fee received: Β£20,000 from Oxford United for Matt Murphy, 1993