Crunch time arrives as Steelmen bid for play-off glory

Steve Kinniburgh is hoping to guide Corby Town to promotion through the play-offs

It’s crunch time for the Steelmen as they take on Bedford Town in the Evo-Stik League South Division One Central play-off semi-final at Steel Park tonight (Wednesday, 7.45pm kick-off).

The winners will go on to play either Bromsgrove Sporting or Sutton Coldfield Town in the final on Bank Holiday Monday.

With only five of the seven play-off winners at Step 4 being able to go up based on their points per game ratio, Corby know that if they are successful in the next two matches then they will be promoted while this evening’s visitors will not.

The Steelmen rounded off their regular campaign, in which they finished third, with a 2-1 success at Kidlington on Saturday.

And now Kinniburgh is hoping his players can produce two more big performances to send them to promotion in his first full season as manager at Steel Park.

“It’s now that question of whether you have that bit extra to get over the line,” the Corby boss said.

“We still had the target of getting more points on the board at the weekend and we did that so we go into the play-offs knowing that if we win them, then we will be going up.

“That’s what we needed, we don’t have to worry about what anyone else is doing. So we are going into it feeling pretty good about things.

“I think we have a group of lads who want to progress.

“There are some young players in the squad who I think would fancy their chances of playing at the level above and even the one above that as well.

“So if they can’t motivate themselves to go out and push themselves one step further then maybe they aren’t quite ready for that move up.

“They have got the ability, they have shown that. But you have to have the right mentality, that will to want it.

“I think that hunger and desire is there and now they have to go and show it. And if we perform to our full capabilities then I think we can win this game and move on to the next one.”

The Steelmen have no fresh injury concerns for the semi-final clash but they will be without the suspended Connor Kennedy and Miles Smith, who has been missing with a long-term thigh problem.