Corby Town 0 Aylesbury United 1 - Jon Dunham’s review

Jon Dunham gives his observations from a difficult afternoon for the Steelmen...

It’s very early in the race but there’s already work for Gary Mills to do

I think ‘frustration’ was the appropriate word for the vast majority of those inside Steel Park.

And no-one was more frustrated than Steelmen manager Gary Mills.

It should be remembered that the experienced boss has only been in the role for a few weeks and any new manager will take some time to get his feet under the table.

Nonetheless, there was plenty of positivity around Corby after a pre-season that produced four wins from four friendlies. Those, however, are now history.

The FA Cup loss on penalties at Mildenhall Town last weekend was a disappointing and, somewhat unexpected, setback.

But, even at this early stage, you could tell this opening-day defeat in the league hurt.

The Steelmen just weren’t quite at it. There was a lack of intensity at times and, as Mills observed afterwards, the desire to win second balls wasn’t there.

There’s enough talent in the Corby squad to suggest these first two weeks will hopefully just be an early blip.

But there is clearly work for Mills to do. That won’t daunt him. He’s managed at a much higher level than this and you don’t do that without working hard and finding answers to difficult questions.

However, if we are to believe what many thought before this season started that this division would see Corby and Halesowen Town challenging for the top spot then the answers need to be found quickly, especially when you have a quick look at what Halesowen did on the opening day (they won 7-1 by the way).

Give some credit to Aylesbury, it was pretty much a perfect away performance

It’s always easy, with these ‘biased’ eyes to focus on the bad parts of Corby’s display.

But let’s give Aylesbury United some well-deserved praise.

They’re no mugs, they were in the play-off places when last season was ended early and they turned in an impressive away performance.

They were solid defensively, they worked hard and they were dangerous in the final third.

It a terrific finish from Ollie Hogg for the goal as he volleyed into the top corner from just inside the penalty area.

And, much to the home side’s frustration, they managed the game well in the second half.

They slowed things down when they needed to and they were also a real threat on the counter-attack.

Aylesbury might just be a team to keep an eye on...

Corby needed a spark and they got one when Elliot Sandy entered the fray

No-one needs me to say what Elliot Sandy is capable of at this level.

The experienced frontman, who looks in excellent shape, has found himself on the bench in the first two games of the season.

But you’ve got to think he will be in line for a return to the starting line-up next weekend.

He came on just after the hour and his mere presence on the pitch seemed to make a difference.

He seemed to give Corby the spark they needed and it was no real surprise to see them have their best moments of the game once he had entered the fray.

Sandy is a proven goal-getter at this level and, as long as fitness permits, I think they need him on the pitch from the start.

The Steelmen fans turned out in as much force as was allowed, they must stick with their team

These are, of course, strange times.

In a way, we should be grateful that at least 400 fans can come along to matches at Step 4 under the current Covid-19 guidelines.

Clubs, including Corby, have had to put in a lot of work to make their grounds ‘Covid ready’ and now they need the fans to respond.

The Steelmen, as expected, reached their 400 capacity on the opening day and it was a real joy to see fans in the ground, even if the majority of them went home disappointed with the result.

You only have to look around to see that clubs up and down the country are struggling.

The Corby fans need to keep the faith and carry on turning out in as much force as they are allowed to as the season progresses - their club is depending on them.

The FA Trophy has now taken on even greater significance

The next game is always the most important one.

Okay, that’s a cliche but it rings true for Corby Town now.

First and foremost, they need a win. They need to get things up and running.

And, having been dumped out of the FA Cup at the first stage, a bit of prize money wouldn’t go amiss as they look to make progress in the FA Trophy next weekend.

They face a trip to Soham Town Rangers on Saturday. Every away game comes with its challenges but the Steelmen must rise to it and find a way to get their season going.