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JOHN MACKIN
David Tilley2 Aug 2022 - 08:44
OBITUARY
JOHN MACKIN (1943 - 2022)
Corby Town were saddened to receive news last weekend of the death of our former player/manager John Mackin at the age of 78. John was born in Bellshill but came to Corby with his family as a schoolboy and honed his football skills on the streets of Corby. His dad, also John, had a substantial football career as a forward with Carluke Rovers, Arbroath, Glentoran and Derry City before finishing at Corby Town but young John was more inclined to emulate his Uncle Joe who was a goalkeeper of some repute with Greenock Morton, Muirkirk, Dunfermline, Ayr United and Motherwell. It was as a 'keeper that the teenaged John joined Northampton Town and in March 1961 he played in goal for the Cobblers Under-18s against Corby Town's youth team in the County Youth Cup Final. Also a member of the Northampton team, who were beaten 1-0 by the Steelboys was another Corby lad, Don Martin. He won England youth international caps and John Mackin was also on the England selectors radar - until he pointed out he was Scottish!
John Mackin eventually established himself as an outfield player, making his first team debut at wing half in a friendly fixture against Dundee United, before settling down at full back. His elevation to the first team coincided with the high point of the club's history and he made his competitive debut in the old First Division - the top flight of English football at the time - when he came on as substitute for Barry Lines away to Sheffield Wednesday in March 1966. He kept his place for the remaining eight games of the 1965/66 season - at the end of which Northampton were relegated.
During that time he scored his first senior goal in a 2-1 win at Aston Villa and returned to his goalkeeping roots when he took over the green jersey from the injured Bryan Harvey in a game away to Tottenham Hotspur - only being beaten by a Jimmy Greaves penalty in a 1-1 draw.
John scored 12 goals in 112 games for Northampton before being released in July 1969 and then had a three-game trial period at Lincoln City before signing for York City in September 1969. He was a first team regular in four seasons at York and was an ever present in 1970/71 when they gained promotion by finishing fourth in Division Four . In all John scored 7 goals in 184 games for York and also had a two-game loan spell with Darlington before Ken Burton signed him for Corby Town in July 1973.
The 29-year-old defender made a scoring Southern League debut in a 3-2 defeat away to Banbury United on the opening day of 1973/74 and soon established himself as the Steelmen's set-piece specialist as he netted five goals in 53 appearances that season. He missed only four games and his form earned him the club's Player of the Year award but he was unable to collect the trophy at the annual awards evening as he was in Kettering General Hospital recovering from an appendix operation.
In 1974/75 John added a further two goals in 52 games at right back and at the start of the following season he took over as club captain, marking his debut in the role by scoring the only goal from the penalty spot in a pre-season friendly at home to Worksop Town. In August 1975 John took over as caretaker player/manager from Mick Blick who resigned to take up a career in the prison service and on Wednesday October 8th 1975 the appointment was made permanent.
During the 1975/76 season John Mackin's Steelmen consisted mainly of local players, including talented youngsters Alan McIlwain, Jim McNichol, Elwyn Roberts, David Gill, Roger Russell, Jimmy Gough, George Reilly, Frankie Murphy, twins Glen and Kim Elliott and his own younger cousin - also John Mackin. At the time they were known as John Mackin senior and John Mackin junior. These young Steelmen ended the season by beating Kettering Town in the Northants Senior Cup Final - adding the trophy to the Midland Floodlit Cup they had won under Mick Blick the previous year.
John was still a first team regular for much of 1975/76 - scoring twice in 55 appearances - but he missed the last ten games because of a knee injury. An attempted comeback in the reserves in April 1976 was not a success and the following month he took doctor's advice to hang up his boots when it was discovered that he had developed arthritis in his left knee. In three seasons as a Corby player he had scored nine goals in 160 appearances.
In the summer of 1976 John lost McNichol, Russell and Reilly to Northampton Town in contentious circumstances and early in 1976/77 he failed in an attempt to add experience to his team when former Leicester City winger Len Glover turned down a move to Corby - adding insult to injury to injury by joining Kettering Town instead! So it was still a predominantly useful side which finished a creditable thirteenth in the Southern League Division One (North) table.
The inclusion of former Nottingham Forest reserve players John Mee, Glyn Saunders, John Powell, David Dall, Paul Bannon and Jimmy McCann raised hopes of having a successful 1977/78 season but despite suffering only two defeats in the opening fifteen games John Mackin, becoming increasingly frustrated by the club's lack of financial resources which saw players opt to join higher paying United Counties League clubs, announced his resignation in October 1977 after four successful years with the Steelmen as player and manager. He returned to briefly in July 1978 when he took over as manager of village side Cottingham.
John Mackin, an adopted local boy made good, is recalled with great affection here at Corby Town and we send our condolences to his family and friends at this sad time.
John Mackin eventually established himself as an outfield player, making his first team debut at wing half in a friendly fixture against Dundee United, before settling down at full back. His elevation to the first team coincided with the high point of the club's history and he made his competitive debut in the old First Division - the top flight of English football at the time - when he came on as substitute for Barry Lines away to Sheffield Wednesday in March 1966. He kept his place for the remaining eight games of the 1965/66 season - at the end of which Northampton were relegated.
During that time he scored his first senior goal in a 2-1 win at Aston Villa and returned to his goalkeeping roots when he took over the green jersey from the injured Bryan Harvey in a game away to Tottenham Hotspur - only being beaten by a Jimmy Greaves penalty in a 1-1 draw.
John scored 12 goals in 112 games for Northampton before being released in July 1969 and then had a three-game trial period at Lincoln City before signing for York City in September 1969. He was a first team regular in four seasons at York and was an ever present in 1970/71 when they gained promotion by finishing fourth in Division Four . In all John scored 7 goals in 184 games for York and also had a two-game loan spell with Darlington before Ken Burton signed him for Corby Town in July 1973.
The 29-year-old defender made a scoring Southern League debut in a 3-2 defeat away to Banbury United on the opening day of 1973/74 and soon established himself as the Steelmen's set-piece specialist as he netted five goals in 53 appearances that season. He missed only four games and his form earned him the club's Player of the Year award but he was unable to collect the trophy at the annual awards evening as he was in Kettering General Hospital recovering from an appendix operation.
In 1974/75 John added a further two goals in 52 games at right back and at the start of the following season he took over as club captain, marking his debut in the role by scoring the only goal from the penalty spot in a pre-season friendly at home to Worksop Town. In August 1975 John took over as caretaker player/manager from Mick Blick who resigned to take up a career in the prison service and on Wednesday October 8th 1975 the appointment was made permanent.
During the 1975/76 season John Mackin's Steelmen consisted mainly of local players, including talented youngsters Alan McIlwain, Jim McNichol, Elwyn Roberts, David Gill, Roger Russell, Jimmy Gough, George Reilly, Frankie Murphy, twins Glen and Kim Elliott and his own younger cousin - also John Mackin. At the time they were known as John Mackin senior and John Mackin junior. These young Steelmen ended the season by beating Kettering Town in the Northants Senior Cup Final - adding the trophy to the Midland Floodlit Cup they had won under Mick Blick the previous year.
John was still a first team regular for much of 1975/76 - scoring twice in 55 appearances - but he missed the last ten games because of a knee injury. An attempted comeback in the reserves in April 1976 was not a success and the following month he took doctor's advice to hang up his boots when it was discovered that he had developed arthritis in his left knee. In three seasons as a Corby player he had scored nine goals in 160 appearances.
In the summer of 1976 John lost McNichol, Russell and Reilly to Northampton Town in contentious circumstances and early in 1976/77 he failed in an attempt to add experience to his team when former Leicester City winger Len Glover turned down a move to Corby - adding insult to injury to injury by joining Kettering Town instead! So it was still a predominantly useful side which finished a creditable thirteenth in the Southern League Division One (North) table.
The inclusion of former Nottingham Forest reserve players John Mee, Glyn Saunders, John Powell, David Dall, Paul Bannon and Jimmy McCann raised hopes of having a successful 1977/78 season but despite suffering only two defeats in the opening fifteen games John Mackin, becoming increasingly frustrated by the club's lack of financial resources which saw players opt to join higher paying United Counties League clubs, announced his resignation in October 1977 after four successful years with the Steelmen as player and manager. He returned to briefly in July 1978 when he took over as manager of village side Cottingham.
John Mackin, an adopted local boy made good, is recalled with great affection here at Corby Town and we send our condolences to his family and friends at this sad time.
Further reading