Blow for Steelmen as midfield trio are set to miss start of the season

The Steelmen boss confirmed that summer signings Danny Setchell and Joe Butterworth as well as Matty Slinn are set to miss the opening clash at Boldmere St Michaels a week on Saturday (August 12).

It’s a blow for Corby but Setchell’s immediate focus is now on the final pre-season run-out of the summer when his team host fellow Step 4 outfit Biggleswade FC at Steel Park this weekend.

“The only disappointing thing is that Danny Setchell, Joe Butterworth and now Matty Slinn are all probably going to be on the sidelines for the start of the season,” the Corby boss said.

“It’s a bit annoying because that is the midfield but we have still got lads who can play in there.

“Every team is going to have injuries at some point in the season. It’s just unfortunate they have all come in the same area of the pitch for us.

“But we have to be ready and this weekend is the dress rehearsal for the first game.

“The lads can see the light at the end of the tunnel. They have done the work, we have played well in some friendlies and not so well in others, we have scored some good goals and conceded some sloppy ones.

“It’s another tough game against a team who finished second at Step 4 last season so it’s a perfect dress rehearsal for what we will be up against in our league.”

Setchell was pleased with his team’s most recent friendly as Corby held National League North side King’s Lynn Town to a 0-0 draw at The Walks last weekend.

“I thought we were probably the better team,” he said.

“I think King’s Lynn rested a couple of their big hitters but, regardless of that, the lads who were playing are first-team players and a lot of them will play National League North football this season so it was a great test for us.

“If I am being critical, we could have won comfortably if we’d taken our chances.

“But it was a good test because we didn’t have a lot of the ball and we had to keep ourselves alert. Everything we had to do without the ball, I thought we did well.”