| Match Report : Corby Town 1-2 City - March 14th 2009 |
| Most people don't enjoy their visits to Corby Town's Rockingham Triangle Sports Stadium because it's an athletics track, it showed as we failed to fill a supporters coach but those City fans who were ably transported to the game by Drakey in his minibus will happily thumb their noses at those not present after this fantastic victory. |
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| The Rockingham Triangle |
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| Since our opening day defeat thanks to a Calvin Plummer brace back in August 1993 our four most recent results at Corby have been perfect. A Mark Hallam hat-trick in November 1994 saw us to a 6-0 win and after a gap of more than twelve years we've recorded three more straight victories. |
| Jamie Reid grabbed a late winner to see the Tigers through by the odd goal in five in 2006 and who can forget last season's four goal salvo in five mad minutes as Tim Harris' men turned a 1-2 defecit on it's head for a result which saw then Corby manager Kevin Wilson sacked? This win though was arguably better what with the Steelmen among the teams bucking the trend of the credit crunch with substitutes on £600 per week! |
| When I was handed the teamsheet it looked like Boris and Adie had gone for a soak up the pressure and then throw the big guns on in the second half with Matty Sysum starting and the likes of Lee Smith, Will Morford and Jack Pitcher on the bench. However, what no-one realised was that just Smith out of the five named would be coming on as the other three had failed fitness tests before the game and Boris only names himself so he can run up and down the touchline to give the lino a bit of needle! |
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| Jack Pitcher was injured so there was none of this today |
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| Corby have for the past couple of seasons been backed by ex-Newcastle United director and Kettering Town chairman Peter Mallinger and are spending more money than most at this level. He made his fortune selling wool and in his latter years must've made a bit more from the sales of his "So You Think You Want To Be A Director of a Football Club", including one sale to myself which I managed to read between St Pancras and Chur in Switzerland in three days last year! |
| After former boss Kevin Wilson was sacked minutes after our win there last season Mallinger tempted up and coming Stamford manager Graham Drury to his club and the diminutive redhead was lucky enough to be able to combine Mallingers cheque book with Kings Lynn's financial woes to bring a number of their ex-players to the soulless Triangle stadium. |
| Experienced full back Dean West, proper bald and ugly centre-half Mark Warren and wingers Joe Francis and John Turner were in the starting eleven whilst forward Matt Nolan started the game on the bench alongside ex-Halesowen striker Dean Brennan. It's nice to see that Deano's swelling has gone down since his well publicised departure from the Yeltz. |
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| £600 to sit on his ass? No wonder he's laughing! |
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| Turner had a golden opportunity to put his team in front with just three minutes on the clock (eight minutes at Mangotsfield) when new signing Francis got behind the City defence and cut the ball back to his former Linnet teammate only to see him sidefoot the ball with a glancing blow rather than the golfers putt that would've seen it towards the bottom corner. |
| Alex Sykes, playing in the hole between Mike Symons and the midfield provided the travelling fans with their first hope when he made room to get the ball onto his lethal left peg and shoot but a defender got there just in time to deflect his effort over Mark Osborn's goal. |
| Tom Webb might've done better when the ball fell kindly to him after Lee Marshall's long throw was only half cleared but his effort was as high and wide as Turner earlier chance for the home side was off target. |
| Turner again posed a threat when he beat Matt Sysum to a through pass but his his stooped header to nod the ball beyond the City mans challenge was too powerful and the ball ran kindly through to Kev Sawyer. |
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| Kev Sawyer to the rescue |
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| We appreciate what Kev does for us but it seems that the young Scots who support Corby also like it when he plays against them for it gives them a chance to be rude and obnoxious to him. |
| They were once fuelled by Irn Bru but had grown up (physically, not mentally) since they'd impressed me with their vast range of chants and songs when we beat them 3-2 in 2006. However, now their sickly sweet favourite beverage from Barr's seems to have been replaced by something stronger and their witty range has, like they showed during the match at Ciren turned into the lazy and predictable foul mouthed insults towards Big Kev. |
| Guys, you're better than that. One of your directors thinks so too as he gave you a bollocking for your language didn't he? |
| Now we know that the Southern League doesn't get the same kind of media exposure as the Premier League does but those in the know are clearly not daft so what amazes me every time we take to the field is the amount of room opponents continue to give to Syko. Even from stupid distances he fancies his chances and his controlled "foot over the ball" half volley from thirty-five yards was a humdinger that had Osborn beaten. Sadly it had too much zing to dip under the bar. That would've been the goal of the decade! |
| Both teams had near identical attempts at goal with near identical results within a matter of minutes. New signing Francis saw his corner returned to him and he dropped his left shoulder to create room to shoot but I'll bet that he wished he hadn't bothered as his effort sailed towards the hammer throwing nets near the corner flag. Symons did pretty much the same for City but fromn the opposite corner. |
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| Boris and Adie talk tactics |
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| From my position on the touchline I had a brief chat with Boris as the half moved on and agreed that City had done well but with the wind at our backs we'd need a goal to take into the break. |
| That goal however didn't come and Corby might've actually scored when their man headed narrowly over the bar from a corner kick. |
| My mood at half time was rather downbeat having seen City fail to hit the back the Corby net after enjoying the greater amount of possession with the wind in their favour but my fears were allayed not long after the restart. |
| Lee Marshall's long throws haven't really impressed me thus far, they don't seem to have the whip that the likes of Rory Delap has for Stoke City and they hang up making them easy for defenders to head away. However today the wind gave them that added zest and when Corby keeper Mark Osborn was almost caught out by Marshall's first fling in of the half the second was to provide the opening goal. |
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| Mike Symons gives City the lead |
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| Symons strength was too much to handle for Corby defender Mark Warren and with his back to goal he controlled the long throw on his chest, trapped the ball and spun around to send it powerfully past the keepers dive. The goal had seemed unlikely but the City bench were on their feet as Simmo spun away and ran towards the main stand where the pocket of City fans were enjoying his strike. |
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| Mike Symons opens the scoring with a shot on the turn at Corby |
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| Luke Ballinger had a chance to double the advantage soon after but his shot in his mind was vastly different to the one that left his foot and arced high over the crossbar before landing beyond the outside lane of the running track. |
| "That's why they call him Syko" came the shout from a familiar face on the home bench after City's top scorer was a smidgen too late in closing down Dean West's channel ball from right back. As one experienced campaigner lay on the floor making a range of "ow" faces another got a talking to from the referee, who had he not been experienced too might've handed out cards like confetti all afternoon. |
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| Get up you big girl |
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| As West had his temporary injury fixed there was no such luck for impressive midfielder Leon Hibbert. He'd looked on top of the battle in the centre of the park and when he left the fray it was a major boost to the Tigers. |
| A double substitution by Drury saw the introduction of Brennan and someone who's probably on half his money but twice as much as any given City player. Yet did it have the desired effect? Did it buggery as a Symo read a headed backpass from Gulliver and did enough to hurry Osborn into a sliced clearance as far as Syko. Despite having time to control the ball his lob wasn't as sweet as you'd expect and what looked like a reasonably simple stop for the goalkeeper rushing back towards his own goal was anything but as he appeared to throw it over the line. |
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| Corby keeper Mark Osborn can only help Alex Sykes' lob over the line to make it 2-0 |
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| I jumped high enough to take part in the pole vault when the lino raised his flag! |
| The home crowd were getting restless now and it shows if you listen to some of their fans on the TR . I can't help but think of Mike Myers in "So I Married An Axe Murderer" playing his father in the movie tormenting his younger brother with the oversized head. "He'll be crying himself to sleep on his massive pillow tonight". You have to have seen it! |
| The Corby players were getting more and more desperate too and the tackles started to get a bit later but the referee showed that he was happy to keep his cards in his pocket for both teams. |
| Syko tested Osborn again as he turned and shot from the corner of the box and even though his effort meekly rolled towards the target you never know with this keeper do you?! |
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| Time for a change |
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| Lee Smith, the only player from the bench likely to feature replaced Luke Ballinger with fifteen minutes to go. Luke would've no doubt been disappointed to leave the field and it's fair to say that he could've seen out the ninety minutes but a consoling arm around the shoulder from Rands showed him how appreciated his efforts were. |
| As you'd expect Corby stepped up the pressure but ultimately Kev was untroubled. |
| Whilst most fans were nervously looking at their watches and sitting uncomfortably waiting for the final whistle it was comforting to hear the management team sounding out the players with special instructions which were generally carried out to the word. Lee Marshall has improved greatly over the past few months and it's easy to see why he's a favourite with Boris when he can find Vern's feet with a long throw en cue. |
| By the way, "Vern" is Jack Harris because he looks like Vernon Kay apparently. And certainly not Verne because he looks like Verne Troyer! |
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| Jack Harris Vernon Kay |
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| Smudger's only shot in anger flew narrowly wide of the far post although his position on the field, as far away from the dugouts as could be didn't go down that well with the management team who were shouting for him to take the ball into the corner. |
| Mark Warren became the first player booked when from a corner he couldn't find a way past Matt Rose and ended up dragging the City man to the ground. Warren looks like someone from the WWE and plays like it too. |
| Jack Harris soon followed him for an off the ball challenge which the referee played advantage from. |
| Syko had a great chance for his second of the game and four-hundred and sixtieth of the season when Smith easily picked his way through a bedraggled Corby defence to the touchline where he cut the ball back to City's "man in the hole". However, Syko screwed his shot the wrong side of the post, something that was immediately obvious to those of us behind him but not so to the City fans up in the stand so it was rather amusing to hear the "Oooooh" seconds after we'd dismissed it! |
| In almost inevitable Gloucester City style, even though they'd scarcely deserved it Corby pulled a goal back when Steve Towers' shot beat Sawyer thanks to a considerable deflection off of Neil Mustoe's right boot. Big Kev was completely wrong footed. |
| Believe me, it made for an uncomfortable last minute or so, especially with Drury bellowing to the referee that he had to add on twice as much time but when that final whistle sounded it was the sweetest sound in the whole of that small part of Northamptonshire that will be forever Scotland. |
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| The journey home was a happy one! |
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City : Kev Sawyer, Alex Sykes, Lee Marshall, Neil Mustoe, Marc Richards, Matt Rose, Luke Ballinger (Lee Smith 75), Tom Webb, Matt Sysum, Mike Symons, Jack Harris.
Subs Not Used : Will Morford, David Mehew, Tom Hamblin, Jack Pitcher
Booked : Jack Harris (90)
Goals : Mike Symons (52), Alex Sykes (71) |
Corby Town : Mark Osborn, Dean West (Paul Tocco 65), Philip Watt, Mark Warren, Phil Gulliver, Leon Hibbert (Lee Hildreth 60), John Turner, Steve Towers, Stephen Diggin, Leon Mettam (Dean Brennan 65), Joseph Francis
Subs Not Used : Matt Nolan, Gary Walters
Booked : Mark Warren (89)
Goal : Steve Towers (90) |
| Attendance : 265 |
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