Corby Town 6 Bromsgrove Sporting 0 - Five Things We Learned

So what did we learn?

Everything about this night was perfect for the Steelmen

You could almost sense this was going to be a decent night. The setting was great with the lush Steel Park pitch being lit up by the floodlights on a calm, crisp October evening. It was a setting deserving of a spectacle and boy did the Steelmen deliver. From start to finish, from one to 11 they produced a display which was as perfect as the surroundings. If only every night could be like this eh?

The frontline gets the glory but don’t forget about the clean sheet

When a team wins 6-0, it’s inevitable that the main focus will fall on the attackers. And make no mistake about it, the Corby frontline were in devastating form. Believe it or not, they didn’t create dozens and dozens of chances but they were clinical with the chances that came their way. They attacked with pace and, especially at the start of the season, they completely overwhelmed the visitors. But this wasn’t just about the attacking players. This was an all-round display. Defensively, the Steelmen were just as impressive. Bromsgrove were clearly a decent side who carried a threat. They had plenty of possession in the first half but a well organised backline ensured Corby didn’t give them a sniff in front of goal. The fact Dan George only had to make one serious save against the leaders speaks volumes. Yes, the big scoreline is great but the zero next to Bromsgrove’s name will give Steve Kinniburgh just as much satisfaction.

Jordan Francis showed his full potential

There a number of impressive individual performances but Jordan Francis stood out. The winger has shown plenty of glimpses of what he can offer but, in the biggest game of the season so far, he produced his best display in a Corby shirt. He was up and down the right-hand side all night and worked perfectly in tandem with full-back Miles Smith. Francis scored the goal of the game with a wonderful strike into the top corner on the stroke of half-time. And, after the break, he created the goals for Sam Grouse and Smith. Steve Kinniburgh clearly saw plenty of potential in the winger when he signed him from Romulus in the summer and on this occasion, Francis showed just what he is capable of.

If Bromsgrove are the standard, Corby proved they are above it

As always, there’s been plenty of talk about who may or may not be in the title shake-up this season and both Bromsgrove and Corby are two teams most expect to be there or thereabouts come the end of April. Bromsgrove have made all the running in the early stages of the campaign so if they are the standard, then Corby proved last night that they are ahead of them. The Steelmen, of course, already held a win over them in the FA Trophy but to do what they did to them with points at stake was a different thing altogether. This isn’t me saying that Steve Kinniburgh’s team are now going to romp away with the division. But the facts are that they are still unbeaten and they have handed out a real hammering on one of their main rivals. It should give the Steelmen plenty of confidence for the weeks and months ahead.

Top spot is now there for the taking

Steve Kinniburgh has, by his own admission, become something of a broken record in the last couple of weeks. Virtually every conversation we have had has featured the word ‘consistency’. I’m guessing his players are probably sick of hearing and reading it. But he makes a good point. Consistency is what wins titles. Turning in good performances and picking up wins are the key to success and, so far, his team have delivered for him. Their season hit a new height with this win over Bromsgrove but it’s all for nothing unless they follow it up in the first of their games in hand on the leaders this weekend. If Corby perform somewhere close to that level again on Saturday, they should win. And if they do, they’ll be top. That, for the time being, should be a big enough incentive to go and get the next job done.