VERDICT: Steelmen get the job done as they hit seven to set up an exciting final day

The job did need doing, however, and a second win in a row means the Steelmen will have a shot at sneaking into the Northern Premier League Midlands play-offs on the final day of the regular season this weekend.

First and foremost, only a win at fellow contenders Boldmere St Michaels will do. Anything less and Corby will miss out.

But should they find a victory, they will then need a series of fortunate events with Coleshill Town currently in the driving seat and Chasetown also just above the Steelmen after they also clinched a midweek win with their game in hand.

Either way, the very fact Corby are in this position is a testament to Gary Setchell and his players for not giving up the ghost when it seemed their hopes had ended.

All they could do was try to win their last three games. Two down, one to go.

This one in front of a sparse crowd at the Elderstubbs was every bit as routine as most would have expected.

You can’t help but have sympathy for Daventry. A mass exodus of players after the departure of previous boss Aaron Parkinson has left the Purple Army with a very young squad, led by reserve team manager Andy Emery.

They shouldn’t have been any match for the Steelmen and they weren’t.

It did take a while for Corby to find the opening goal, however, and they were hampered by an early hamstring injury for Jordan O’Brien.

But once Tristan Thompson-Matthews had got the final touch after a scramble in the area to break the deadlock, it was only ever going to go one way.

Toby Hilliard, who was denied by a stunning early save from James Lovell, a striker who was forced to play in goal with the regular stopper unavailable, grabbed the second goal after being played in by Dan Collins.

And Corby were able to add two more before half-time.

A memorable night for Danny Gordon, one of the undoubted stars of the season, began when he fired home from the penalty spot after Michael Jacklin had been pulled back in the box.

And it was skipper Jacklin who added the fourth on the stroke of half-time, finishing at the second attempt after Lovell had saved his first effort.

It was a similar story after the break.

Daventry certainly never threw the towel in but Corby just had too much for them.

Gordon stepped up again to convert from the spot after Tsaguim Florian had been brought down in the box by Alex Mercer and Gordon was able to enjoy the novelty of a hat-trick of penalties when he beat Lovell again from 12 yards, this time after the goalkeeper had committed a foul himself.

And it was Florian, who was lively after coming on for O’Brien early on, who wrapped things up when he finished well after good work from Hilliard.

It was a night when Corby couldn’t make a mistake and they didn’t.

Now they have to win one more game on Saturday and hope that the footballing gods are on their side if they are to enjoy an extended season…

Daventry: Lovell; Mercer, Knights, Da Silva Valente, Oso; Joseph; Simon, Nikolajevs (sub Calver, 71 mins), Nkrumah, Gigante (sub Boateng, 71 mins), Akinbobola. Subs not used: Emery, Bawa.

Corby: Bukowski; Thomas, Milne, Jacklin, Gordon; Furey, Thompson-Matthews, Collins, Arthur; Hilliard, O’Brien (sub Florian, 15 mins). Subs not used: Thomas, Slinn.

Referee: Ryan Williams.

Goals: Thompson-Matthews (27 mins, 0-1), Hilliard (33 mins, 0-2), Gordon pen (41 mins, 0-3), Jacklin (45 mins, 0-4), Gordon pen (56 mins, 0-5), Gordon pen (73 mins, 0-6), Florian (76 mins, 0-7).

Northants Telegraph man-of-the-match: Danny Gordon – ever reliable at left-back and walked away with the matchball after a hat-trick of penalties.

Attendance: 135.