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Jimmy Corbett Interview 24/8/2009

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A foot in both camps...Jimmy Corbett
By Chris Dicketts

Gillingham entertain Blackburn Rovers in the Carling Cup this week and in preparation we spoke to a player who has a foot in both camps.

Jimmy Corbett never played a game for Blackburn in an injury hit stay there but did making seventeen starts for the Gills.

Talking about his ill fated time at Ewood Park, he said: “It was not a great start as I broke my ankle four times at Blackburn had a knee operation which kept me out for six months. Added to that a double hernia operation and then to top it off they found a crack in the base of my spine so I did have my problems staying fit”

“I played every pre-season game in my first season and travelled to Nottingham Forest away for the first game of the season. My first reserve game was at home and I broke my ankle in a tackle which meant I didn’t train under Roy Hodgson. When I was fit again my first reserve game back I broke the same ankle so was ruled out for the rest of the season and Roy Hodgson got sacked and then Brain Kidd came in.”

With so many injuries in his time at Blackburn it is unbelievable compared to when he burst onto the scene at Gillingham aged seventeen.

Giving his reaction to playing in the first team under Tony Pulis, he added: “It was brilliant; Tony Pulis was manager at the time. I didn’t know I was playing until about 11:30am on the Friday, but luckily we had a good team that looked after me during the game.”

It was clear that the 29-year-old didn’t really want to leave Gillingham in 1998 when he was bought by Roy Hodgson the then Rovers manager for £525,000.

He said: “At the time I moved from the Gills I didn’t really have a choice they needed the money so that was not really an option to stay at Gillingham. Maybe the choice of clubs was the wrong one as I didn’t realise how far Blackburn was until I moved up there.

“A lot has been made of my injuries but when I was there I was very homesick as I was injured. I had a lot of time on my hands I was only 18 with money to spend. When I start to look back I wasn’t very professional with some of my drinking and betting which is my biggest regret.”

Having suffered many injuries throughout what was once a promising career, Jimmy has moved into non-league football.

This season he signed for Faversham Town and his main aim is to stay fit and help Faversham gain promotion.

He said: “I would not call myself box to box! I can play anywhere in the front six but prefer to play wide but will play where I am asked it doesn’t really bother me.”

Talking about playing non-league football and the differences to the professional game, he said: “Obviously there are differences playing League football and non-league mainly it’s a little bit slower but that’s to be expected with only training twice a week.


Posted: 24/08/2009 18:37:49
 
At least he sounds reasonably positive about life. Must be hard going from being worth half a million at 18 to nowhere in a few years. Bit like Tommy Black IMO, all the talent in the world but missing that certain something.
 
He updates quite regularly on FB about his fitness and some of the struggles he's had, mind you, he updates when he drops off the wagon as well! Always liked him as a player, him and Marky G were quite something for a brief time.
 
Scored his one of our five pens at Col Ewe, that's good enough for me!

Yes he did!!

If you had seen the 5 who were going to take them before they stepped up, you would never have thought we would have won forget scored all 5:

Broughton, Bramble, Mahher, Corbett and Hunt
 
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