and so it came to pass that the first team finished 4th in Div. 1, just 2 points away from promotion. Agonising, and this inevitably left us kicking ourselves going over the what if moments througout the season. but in truth it was a monumental turnaround to finish top 4 when we were rock bottom in mid-October. Including cup we opened up the season without a win in the first 9 games, the worst start to a campaign for decades...intrestingly there was no sense of panic at all around the club, Ross Potter had been appointed in June and from the outset his mandate was survival first and foremost. On the back of David Robinson's departure a huge bulk of the senior squad had moved on to pastures new, Potter had to bring players in fresh to the club and time was always on his side to turn results around, this to his credit he did with dramatic effect. 17 wins in 23 games and smashing 80 goals in 30 games. Led by a strike force of Page & King who were to amass 42 goals between them. Highlights were the 8-2 mauling of Hindrigham, the 5-0 win on the road at Hellesdon. There was little doubt the brand of football being played was quality and our passing from the back with players very comfortable on the ball was achange from the percentage football we have seen in previous years, that came to haunt us in the home game v Horsford when plaiyng the ball out from the back in time added on saw the home team capatilise on a stray pass and equalise, robbing us of a valauble 2 points. Manor road became a fortress as from 1st October until the end of the season, zero home defeats in that run.. and the home romp v Stalham had onlooking Ex-Red, Wroxham striker Damo Hilton purring on twitter. The best Stratton team he had ever seen was his verdict, praise indeed. The season saw young George MacRae break into the first team after just a season at reserve level. Grahame Bartlett come through a season without injury. The evening game v CEYMS will live long in the memory, in near pitch darkness we scored twice in time added on to win 2-1, Stephen Blunt netting the winner to cue jubilant scenes and the roar that greeted the winner we later found out was heard as far as the top of St. Michaels Road. With two top 4 finishes in the past 3 years we are now established as a top Div. 1 outfit, wether we can make history and edge into that top two remains to be seen but with a few additions to the squad in the summer, 2012/13 will be eagerly anticipated at Manor Road. The reserves who stayed up in Div. 4 the previous season with the last kick of the season were looking to be in much safer waters this term, Lloyd Douglas had been installed to work alongside existing manager Steve Race, a torrid run of 1 point in 11 games put us firmly in the relegation zone by the turn of the year but after a vital 3-1 win over Bungay Town Res, capped by Anton Nelson scoring a cracker. Nelson new in this season was one of the res most consistent performers along with the constant presence of skipper Jonny Saunders. After the Bungay win we recorded 4 wins in 5 games, Matt Newson was on fire up front, Nathan Skinner had a big impact and Terry Green played a big part in central midfield, this good run was enough to secure safety although another sorry run of one point from the final 6 games meant we stayed up by just 2 points in the end. Survival is always the mandate for the reserves in 4, the fact that just 8 years ago the first team were in this division puts it into perspective but still we will want to be avoiding another such tight margin of survival next term. The ladies underwent a managerial change on the eve of the opening game of the season, Chris Wiseman was relieved of his duties and in came Alison Moore & Tina Page to take the reigns, and despite defeat in their opening game they led the girls on to a magnificent run of 10 straight wins putting them top of the table, with clean sheets in 5 of those games as the season entered January it looked as though the girls could be on to win the title. Then came the twist in the tale, just 2 wins from the next 8 games saw many dropped points, paticuarly on the road and we slipped out of the top 2, Gorleston going on to win the league from Mulbarton we settled for 3rd in the end. A big improvement on last seasons mid-table finish and some memorable matches, none more so than the 5-0 win away at Thorpe. Jenny Head was typically outstanding all season at the heart of the defence, what a story behind Emily Watts' season, she netted 20 times all this after being on the brink of leaving the club, unhappy under the previous regime. With more players set to come in over the summer the girls are very capable of another promotion challenge in 2012/13.
The veterans team became our newest addition to the senior side of the club, managed by Darren Mower, he put together a squad of over 30 players, the large majority being ex-Reds. The league became something of a cruise with only 1 defeat all season the league was won by 8 clear points from 2nd placed Unthank Arms. Francis Page and Paul Hunt were joint top scorers with Ian Wilson superb in midfield. Hunt scored some cracking goals along the way, his 40 yard strike at Unthank a huge highlight. Mower has already begun to strengthen for next season with D. Hilton at 35 now ready for vets football.