Big finish showed what Corby are ‘really all about’

Hilton Arthur headed home the first of his two goals to put Corby Town 2-1 up in their win over Yaxley at Steel Park. Picture by Jim Darrah

The Steelmen returned to action for the first time since the 1-1 draw with Stamford on Bank Holiday Monday and eventually proved too strong for the bottom markers as they maintained their unbeaten start to the Northern Premier League Midlands campaign at Steel Park.

Corby opened the scoring thanks to a Dan Collins header in the first half but were pegged back by Ethan Johnston’s equaliser after the break.

However, two goals from Hilton Arthur and a fine free-kick from Curtis Burrows capped a fine finish to the night for the hosts.

And boss Attenborough was pleased with the impact his substitutions had on the game as he conceded Yaxley’s leveller seemed to kick his team “into life”.

“For the first hour I didn’t think we were great, we weren’t at it,” the Steelmen manager said.

“We’d had nine or 10 days without a game and we said in the dressing-room before the game that we needed to start on the front foot.

“For the first 10 minutes the plan was to go quite direct and put them under pressure and we just didn’t do it. We were under-hitting balls, we weren’t turning them and we were pretty lacklustre.

“We got a goal from a set-piece and then we have given away a really poor goal.

“But that seemed to kick us into life a bit and that last half-an-hour is really what we are about and what we want to be about.

“I thought the substitutes made a difference, they stretched Yaxley for us and that’s what it’s all about, it’s a squad game.

“We are unbeaten and we should be full of confidence but it wasn’t until that last half-hour where we started to strutt our stuff.

“You can’t boss a game for 90 minutes, we all know that. But we were too quick to get rid of the ball. We played a bit safe at times.

“Yaxley are down there and, in this situation, all eyes were on us because you are expected to win the game.

“I said to the boys before the game, even the team that finishes bottom of the league will get 20 points so you have to make sure they don’t get them against you.

“The starting 11 put a shift in, the lads who came on changed it and, in the end, it could have been five or six but we will take the 4-1 and, obviously, any sort of victory will do. Again, by hook or by crook, we have got over the line.”

Corby turn their attention to the first qualifying round of the FA Trophy this weekend with a trip to Attenborough’s former club Loughborough Dynamo, who are also flying high in the NPL Midlands.