St Ives Town VS Corby Town-Match Report
Pitching In Northern Premier League Midlands Division-22/09/2026
With a new man in the dugout and a whole host of new faces in the starting XI, it was anyone’s guess as to the type of performance the Ives fans in attendance were going to witness from their team, against a struggling Corby Town side. What followed was one of the best performances those in attendance at Quattro-Tech Westwood Road will have seen in a while as the home side came away with a vital 3-1 win, with Tommy Cooney’s men picking up a welcome three points on a mild Monday evening.
Cooney’s first XI as Ives boss featured a whole host of new faces, with the new manager wasting no time in his attempts to build a squad in his image. Alex Munroe, Jedidiah Brown-Johnson, Eddie Wright and Callum Frazer all made their debuts on the night, with Cooney making five changes in all from Saturday’s 3-1 defeat to Barwell.
Steelmen, who are also a side in transition having parted ways with Manager Leon Mettam and his assistant Danny Brookes last Wednesday, made four changes from their previous fixture, as they too search for a winning formula.
From the off, you could see the home side playing with a level of intensity that hasn’t been by regular attendees of Ives fixtures for quite some time. There was a freshness about the players on the pitch, with the feeling that there were more than a few eager to impress.
Despite the positive start from the home side, creation of clear-cut chances in the opening 15 minutes was hard to come by. A good burst down the right-hand side by CJ Gordon, which saw the winger make his way into the Corby penalty area and attempt a low driven pull-back cross, was blocked and cleared by Steelmen.
Ives went close to going in front with 17 minutes on the clock, with Michael Gash getting his head on a searching ball, only for his effort to crash off the underside of the crossbar and down, just in front of the goal line. Gash’s aerial ability has been a general theme throughout Ives season so far, and Monday night was no different.
By this stage, the visitors had begun to grow into the contest and had been creating some forward moves of their own. None of which resulted in a meaningful effort at goal until the 20th minute, which saw Steelmen take the lead. Corby skipper Jordan Crawford delivered a dangerous free kick from the left-hand side that was only half cleared by the Ives defence, only for Amir Ward to run onto the loose ball and force his effort home underneath Ives shot stopper George Bucknor from close range.
It was a goal that took some of the positive wind out of the sails of Ives supporters, who had seen similar scripts play out many times before. However, Cooney’s men didn’t let their heads drop and 10 minutes later, they were back level. A deep corner from Ives captain Dan Lawlor found the head of Gash at the back post, whose effort was too powerful for Chris Brazil in the Corby goal to handle, as the 40-year-old defender made it 1-1.
The game became somewhat stretched 10 minutes before the break as both sides traded blows. A cute back heel from Fran Obiagwu found the feet of Ward in the penalty area on 36 minutes, only for the Corby number seven to blast his effort into the near post side netting. In added time at the end of the first half, Ives went close to going back in front, with substitute Alfie Shepherd getting on the end of Gash’s flick on header, only to see his effort blocked for a corner.
Shepherd had come on for Callum Frazer on 37 minutes, with the debutant struggling to make the desired impact from his starting left wing position.
Ives have made poor starts to second half’s an unwelcome habit of late, but Monday night’s fixture saw the home side came out from the break with the hunger and desire of a team who were desperate to turn their fortunes around. Five minutes after the restart, Cooney’s men were rewarded as Dan Lawlor produced another fantastic delivery from a corner, which this time found the head of Oliver Brookes, with the defender powering his header past a helpless Brazil, as the home side took a 2-1 lead.
Ives had their tails up and were determined to make their pressure pay. Alfie Shepherd was one of the main catalysts for the relentless energy Cooney’s men were producing throughout, with the youngster having one of his best games in a black and white shirt. The academy graduate almost got his name on the scoresheet on 57 minutes, when he cut inside and curled an effort just wide of the far post.
Steelmen started to grow into the second period, and, on the hour mark, had the ball in the back of the Ives net, only for their celebrations to be cut short by referee Freddie Dutton, who had already blown for a free kick to the visitors just outside the penalty area. Unsurprisingly, the decision wasn’t well received by the away side, who were left puzzled by Dutton’s decision to not play advantage.
Ives’ third goal of the game on 71 minutes wouldn’t have done much to cheer up the travelling Corby faithful, who will have been left frustrated with their side’s performance on the night. It was Shepherd who was in the thick of it again as he produced a fabulous cross to find Gash free at the back post, with the former Cambridge City man making no mistake from close range, placing his header past Brazil to clinch his second of the evening.
The game became stretched as time ticked towards 90 minutes, with both sides not looking to take their foot off the pedal. Aidan Edwards’ curling effort that was pushed away by Brazil on 87 minutes was the closest Cooney’s men came to scoring a 4th before Dutton brought the game to a close. Ives remained strong at the other end, with Bucknor making a top reflex save on 75 minutes to deny Crawford.
The chance that rather summed up Corby’s evening came in the 91st minute of the game, when a superb cross from the right-hand side found the head of a Corby attacker, only for the ball to cannon off the crossbar and bounce just in front of the goal line, in similar fashion to Gash’s earlier chance in the first half. Ultimately, there was no way through for Steelmen, as Dutton put the whistle to his lips and brought the game to a close.
The sound of Rocking All Over The World by Status Quo rang around the Quattro-Tech as Ives claimed their first win since early August. A winning start for Cooney, who will be hoping Monday’s performance is a sign of things to come. Ives are back in action on Saturday, when they travel to Basford United.
Final Score: St Ives Town 3 Corby Town 1 Half Time 1 – 1
Goals:
ST IVES: Gash 31, 71 Brookes 50
CORBY: Ward 20
Team Line Ups:
ST IVES: Bucknor, Miles, Munroe, Lawlor (capt), Brookes, Gash, Gordon (Ward 88), Brown-Johnson (Ankrah 77), Wright, Edwards, Frazer (Shepherd 37) Unused subs: Mustill, Kaninda
CORBY: Brazil, Lievins (Gromek 30), Singh Bahrey (Tsvetkov 78), Challinor, Milne, Gothard, Ward (Kennedy 64), Wilson, Obiagwu, Wakefield (Marshall 64), Crawford (capt) Unused subs: Ollie Downs
Referee: Freddie Dutton
Cards: Yellow: ST IVES: Munroe (55)
CORBY: None
IVES SUPPORTERS MAN OF THE MATCH: Michael Gash
Attendance: 243
