Corby Town began 2024 with a 3-2 win over County neighbours AFC Rushden & Diamonds at Steel Park on New Years Day. With first choice goalkeeper Dan Wallis suspended former Steelmen goalkeeper coach Alex 'Pedro' Street made his playing debut between the posts with youth team 'keeper Stanley Roberts making his first appearance on the bench alongside Under-18s team mate Ryan Martindale.
For the second successive game Corby made the ideal start, Toby Hilliard and Connor Tomlinson carving open the Diamonds defence in the seventh minute and Hilliard slipping the ball past ex-Corby 'keeper Ben Heath.
Tomlinson and Hilliard both passed up guilt-edged chances to extend the lead before Hilliard took advantage of a defensive mistake to score his second in the 34th minute.
Diamonds refused to lie down, however, and after they had struck the inside of a post Cairo Taylor pulled a goal back a minute before half time. Ex-Steelman Miguel Ngwa was having a useful game for the visitors and Corby would have been relieved to see him withdrawn at the interval.
The Steelmen needed to re-establish their control of the game at the start of the second half and did so just three minutes in when Heath pushed out a shot from the left and Ben Isaacson netted the rebound from close range.
Both teams continued to create chances, with Heath in particular doing his best to keep his former colleagues at bay. His best moment was a double save from Tristan Thompson-Matthews.
The Steelmen could not kill the game off, however, and in the 68th minute Diamonds once again reduced the deficit to a single goal when Jarvis Wilson scored. This goal produced a few nervy moments for Corby near the end but they survived a flurry of corners to hold on for their first home win of the season at the twelfth attempt.

CORBY TOWN:- Alex Street; Ben Isaacson, Kalern Thomas; Matthew Slinn, Callum Milne, Michael Jacklin; Connor Tomlinson, Tristan Thompson-Matthews, Toby Hilliard, Joe Butterworth, Danny Gordon. substitutes: Ollie Rose, Jack Keeble, Dylan Edge, Ryan Martindale, Stanley Roberts.

AFC RUSHDEN & DIAMONDS:- Ben Heath; Jarvis Scott, Callum Perry; Joe O'Neill, Jarvis Wilson, Luca Purse; Miguel Ngwa, Ryan Inman, Cairo Taylor, Rueben Wyatt, John Dean. substitutes: Pharrell Anderson, Ethan Johnson, Tom Cartwright, Daniel Tagoe, Tejan Thomas.

REFEREE:- Mr Joe Woolmer.

ATTENDANCE:- 714.