Corby Town 3 Kidlington 1 - Five Things We Learned

Corby Town made it four wins in a row in the Evo-Stik League South Division One Central as they saw off the bottom side at Steel Park.
Jordon Crawford scored for the sixth game in a row as Corby Town beat Kidlington 3-1 at Steel Park. Picture by Alison BagleyJordon Crawford scored for the sixth game in a row as Corby Town beat Kidlington 3-1 at Steel Park. Picture by Alison Bagley
Jordon Crawford scored for the sixth game in a row as Corby Town beat Kidlington 3-1 at Steel Park. Picture by Alison Bagley

But what did we learn?

The Steelmen are now in a nice groove, so much so that they didn’t have to be at their best.

It’s been a gruelling schedule for every semi-professional and professional footballer over the past couple of weeks or so. But the festive period has seen the Corby squad really rise to the occasion as they continue to push at the top end of the table. They’ve now won four games in a row, scoring 14 goals and conceding just two in the process. They are in a nice groove at the moment and, at the end of that hectic schedule, they did what they had to do in this one. It wasn’t a vintage display and it didn’t need to be. They got in front early and then wrapped it up in the second half with Elliot Sandy’s clinical diving header giving them the two-goal cushion they needed. It’s all about results and, on this occasion, despite not being at their best, the Steelmen got the job done.

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Give some credit to Kidlington, they didn’t come to shut up shop like most clubs do.

So often we see teams coming to Steel Park to sit in and frustrate the Steelmen. It’s fair to say many would have expected the same from the division’s bottom club. Instead, Kidlington set up with an attacking formation and they left players further up the pitch to give Corby something different to think about. Yes, the Steelmen won the game and deservedly so. But Kidlington looked a better side than their league position suggests and home goalkeeper Dan George was forced to make one excellent save in the second half when the score was still only 1-0. I’m sure it won’t make them feel any better because they lost the game, but Kidlington’s approach was refreshing.

Jordon Crawford is well and truly back and he’s having a big impact.

I am sure the young winger will tell us that he has never been away but it’s fair to say Jordon Crawford had a slightly slower start to the season than we expected after an outstanding previous campaign. But there’s no doubt that he has well and truly come to the party now. He has now scored in the last six matches in a row and he has also opened the scoring in four of those. It’s not just the goals though, Crawford is a real livewire on the wing and real threat to any defence when he cuts in and gets a sight of goal. It may have been a low-key start but he is up to speed now and that can only be good news for the Steelmen.

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Corby now hit the road, the next three games are going to be crucial.

This game was the Steelmen’s last at Steel Park until January 26. Between now and then, Corby have three away matches on the spin starting at Sutton Coldfield Town on Saturday. These are the hard yards you have to complete if you are to stay in the hunt at the top of the table. They’ll need to keep on picking up points as they hit the road and that isn’t an easy thing to do at any level. One thing is for sure though, they couldn’t be in better shape to tackle this crucial little run.

Chasing can be frustrating, the Steelmen must stay the course.

It has been an excellent festive period and a good start to the new year for the Steelmen. And, after four wins in a row, you could understand if there was a bit of frustration with the gap between Corby and leaders Peterborough Sports still remaining at six points. You have to give credit to Sports, they are leading the way and haven’t really slipped up just yet. Steve Kinniburgh’s team do have the game in hand but it’s crucial that they stay the course. You’ve got to believe Sports are in it for the long haul and Bromsgrove Sporting will, more than likely, be there or thereabouts as well. The Steelmen do have a shot at this title but they have to keep plugging away and ensure they are still in the hunt when March arrives because one glance at the fixture list shows that month could well be the crucial one...