Last season Matt Rhead was terrorising the Corby Town defence, scoring against them in both the home and away fixtures for his old side Eastwood Town. This season he’s providing the Steelmen with strength and agility going forward, and hopefully a bag full of goals. 

“The way that the team plays really fills me with confidence” Rhead explains. “It really suits my game as a footballer. I really think that the side I’m in at the moment will always create chances and I’m more then confident that I’ll be able to get quite a few goals this season.

“Between myself, Rogan and Smith I think we’ve all got really different playing styles which mix well together. We’re all gunning for the title of top scorer at the end of the season. It’s strong and good competition that keeps us all on our toes and hopefully between the three of us we’ll score as many goals as possible.”

Rhead has already provided the Steelmen fans with glimpses of his attacking prowess, netting four goals so far this campaign, plus an impressive return of six goals in just four pre-season friendlies, including a swift 45-minute hatrick against Stamford.

“I don’t get players who say that they don’t like scoring in pre-season” Rhead admits, “I like to score as many goals as possible because it fills me with confidence.  And as a striker, your game is all about confidence. Getting goals early doors gives you a good platform for the rest of the season.”

Former club Eastwood Town benefited highly from the hitman’s natural instinct for goals, Rhead scoring eighteen times in just twelve games. He repaid his former employers by scoring twice past them at Steel Park during last month’s 5-0 demolition of the Badgers.

It was his impressive goal-to-game ratio for Eastwood that led to attention from clubs in nPower League 1 and the Conference National. But despite the interest from higher level clubs it was Graham Drury that convinced the big man to stay in the Blue Square Bet North.

“The gaffer was a massive part of my decision to come and play for Corby Town. We were told in the last two weeks of the season at Eastwood that we needed to find new clubs. Basically the chairman and manager were leaving and they couldn’t guarantee football there for the upcoming campaign.

“Graham first rung me up a couple of weeks after the season finished and asked would I be interested in a move. I knew I was definitely leaving Eastwood but wasn’t sure on my destination, there was a few offers on the table. But Graham was persistent; he rang me a few times a week. As a player, feeling wanted by a manager can have a massive influence on your decision. And Graham definitely made me feel wanted.”

Rhead rewarded Drury’s persistency with a visit to Steel Park in June.  Even after just a short visit the striker admits that he could feel the air of optimism surrounding the Steelmen.

“I just got a positive vibe from the whole club. From the players, from Graham, from the back-room staff, everyone. The atmosphere around the place just makes it clear that everyone wants to progress. Who wouldn’t want to be a part of that?  The new stadium was also a huge factor in my decision. This is a town that is clearly very passionate and cares about its football. Hopefully we can reward the fans by going on and progressing this season.”