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After a hugely successful 09-10 season, the new Corcoran/Collins axis were immediately under pressure to deliver trophies with attacking fluent football. Wenger, Ancolotti & Mancini all face managerial pressure but it's the man who finally replaces Ferguson who will be under the most pressure, and that's very much how Corcoran/Collins (Houllier/Evans) felt.
First job was to tie down out of contract stars with the promise of a good time and trophies. Man mountain Bails, sick note Roberts and the combustible Emry all pledged their futures to the club but it was the capture of David Shaw, from local rivals 'Nobs' who really gave the 3s the much talked about 'fantasy' element, following a host of player promotions up the club from the previous season. Ever green Corcoran snr and former captain Si Owen were convinced to stay on for 'one more year' by the fans and the squad was beginning to take shape. New players Dave Viara and Stu Ewin (bums on seats centre forward) joined the 3s and immediately looked right at the home with Ralph Goad taking up the lynch pin DCM role and the talismanic Jonno Santry given the on field armband, the 3s were ready to deliver on the BTW trophy brief.
A good start to the year saw Notts knocking in late winners against Owens and Carshalton and this would become a feature of the season. The Roberts/Shaw forward lines was beginning to gel following a terrific away win at E-bog but were undone as availability and injuries hit in November. After setting the early league pace Notts went into an enforced 8 week winter break on the back of defeat to old rival Winchmore who were kept at bay for 70 minutes only for Notts to lose concentration and concede an uncharacteristic sloppy goal. Notts had a touch of post Christmas blues in jan/feb going out of the AFA cup to Oakhill tigers with veteran Paul Noon returning to play following failed season abroad. Noon originally went to Belgium hoping to improve 'technically' and experience football in another country - needless to say some players are not cut out for life on the continent - like Lineker, Hughs and Jermaine Pennant before him he really should have stayed at home. None the less Notts were still in pole position for the league and were through to the last 8 of the SAL cup following a nail biting victory at Salesians.
Both Jamie McNeil and Joe Lukins and joined the squad by this stage and had given the team a shot in the arm for the run in. Notts really kicked on with a relentless succession of victories in both cup and league that took Notts to the brink of an impossible double once again. Goals by Ewin and Roberts delivered vital wins at Acton, Weirside and away at Alleyns in the semi final of the cup but the crowning moment were two swooping efforts by the bald eagle 'Shawsie' away at West Wickham in what looked the High water mark of the 3s season. The fine league form set the 3s up for their cup final against Leon's second team - the scholars and gentleman from E bog. How ironic it was that it was Leon who broke E bog hearts with yet another late winner after big Stu Ewin's emphatic (so emphatic) opener was cancelled out. What a night followed and what a match report - E-Bog, E-Bog, E-Bog, E-Bog. This really was the high watermark in the season as league form suffered and Tuesday games came a little too thick and fast and injuries through out the club stretched resources to the maximum. In the end Notts 3s fell a couple of points too short but had found a new centre forward in Jay 'Didier' Larkin who surely remains the biggest heart throb in the club???
It was fitting that our final games pitted us away to the new champions Owens - having already beaten them earlier in the season Notts comfortably outplayed them but couldn't kill them off and finished 0-0 and then beaten cup finalists E-Bog who literally had no idea how they escaped with a 1-1 draw. A great season all round and a trophy to show for it - we'll be back next year for the league and 3rd consecutive defence of the SAL cup.
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