VERDICT: Hat-trick hero Jordan leads Steelmen to a fine win over the leaders

It’s now two wins in a row for boss Gary Setchell and the impressive performance and result means the Steelmen remain in the hunt for the play-off places.

Corby were without new striker Toby Hilliard due to illness but it didn’t stop them from making a flying start.

Right from the first whistle, the Corby players were in the faces of the leaders and forcing errors from them.

And the hosts had the lead inside five minutes.

The excellent Danny Gordon whipped in a corner from the right and O’Brien finished it off with an acrobatic effort.

If that was good, things soon got better as Gordon took aim with a free-kick just outside the right side of the area and it flew past everyone and into the far corner.

The Steelmen onslaught continued as Halesowen struggled to retain possession and it was 3-0 on 19 minutes when O’Brien broke away on the left and cut back into the box before unleashing a fine strike past Daniel Platt.

At that stage, there looked to be only one winner but Halesowen did manage to settle things down and there were a couple of warning shots as Richard Gregory sent a header just wide before seeing an audacious attempt fly just over the crossbar.

But the Yeltz gave themselves a lifeline two minutes before the break when a perfect through ball released Mckauley Manning and he found the net with the aid of the near post.

And it was well and truly game on just seconds into the second half when Halesowen made it 3-2.

They made two changes at the break, including the introduction of former Steelman Greg Mills, but it was a mistake from Corby goalkeeper Tomasz Bukowski that opened the door for the ball to be bundled home, possibly by Jamie Insall in a sea of bodies, after he was unable to hold on to a cross from the right.

But the Steelmen did a good job after that as they ensured Halesowen were unable to lay siege to their goal.

And Corby sealed the deal on 66 minutes. O’Brien got away in the area, only to be bundled over by Christopher Cox. Referee Richard Eley pointed to the spot, Cox was booked and O’Brien stepped up to send Platt the wrong way to complete his hat-trick and restore the two-goal advantage.

That goal finally knocked the stuffing out of the Yeltz and O’Brien should have scored his fourth of the day when he somehow scooped the ball over from close-range after an excellent run and cross from Tsaguim Florian.

At the other end, Bukowski more than made up for his earlier error when he made a fine stop from Kieran Donnelly’s far-post header.

And if anyone wanted any evidence of just how much it all meant to the Corby players, it was there when Kern Miller and Bukowski squared up to each other after a moment of confusion in the home penalty area.

Both were booked but the danger was eventually cleared and, despite Insall having a late effort ruled out for offside, the Steelmen saw things out with few scares to wrap up the impressive success.

Steelmen: Bukowski; H Thomas (sub Milne, 80 mins), Miller, Jacklin; K Thomas, Noble, Thompson-Matthews (sub Collins, 84 mins), Slinn, Gordon; Florian, O’Brien (sub Furey, 87 mins). Subs not used: Arthur, Floyd.

Halesowen: Platt; Cox (sub Funge, 70 mins), Kelly, Quaynor; Ezewele, Hayward, Sammons (sub Donnelly, h-t), Bunn, Manning (sub Mills, h-t); Insall, Gregory. Subs not used: Turton, Redhead.

Referee: Richard Eley.

Goals: O’Brien (5 mins, 1-0), Gordon (12 mins, 2-0), O’Brien (19 mins, 3-0), Manning (43 mins, 3-1), Insall (46 mins, 3-2), O’Brien pen (66 mins, 4-2).

Bookings: Hayward, Cox (both fouls), Insall, Miller, Bukowski (all unsporting behaviour), Florian (preventing the restart).

Northants Telegraph man-of-the-match: Jordan O’Brien – there were numerous contenders in what was Corby’s most impressive display of the season. The likes of Danny Gordon, Matthew Slinn and Tsaguim Florian were excellent. But the Steelmen’s big problem has been in front of goal and O’Brien was lethal with two fine finishes and then a penalty to complete his hat-trick.

Attendance: 784 (168 Halesowen fans).