The 1910/11 season would be a good one for Sunderland. They would end up third, on goal average, 7 points behind the eventual champions Manchester United.

The opening game of the campaign saw the red and whites entertain Tyneside rivals Newcastle United at Roker, and it would end in a 2 v 1 victory. Mordue had set Sunderland on their way after 32 minutes, with Coleman notching the decisive second. It was a good 3 days for the club with the "A" side winning at West Stanley and then triumphant over Sunderland royal Rovers 7 v 0.

We then went to Bramall Lane, and Sheffield United, who led the table after the seasons opener and once more Coleman and this time Bridgett were on target in another 2 v 1 success. We had led since the second minute and from then on never looked back.

Over 30,000 witnessed the defeat of the league champions Aston Villa on Wearside on 10 September, our third straight win. Coleman scoring again to keep his impressive scoring run going. It was 4 wins on the trot and a defeat of Oldham Athletic. We were now flying at the top of the table. Then relative "failure", 2 successive draws. The 0 v 0 with The Arsenal at Plumstead was the first division of the points between the two since 1906.

8 October and Sunderland travelled to bottom of the table Blackburn Rovers, where we once more triumphed, this time 1 v 0. The goal was scored by Arthur Bridgett, and it marked the debut of one H Carr. He had come in at centre forward to replace Holley who was otherwise engaged with an Inter League game with Ireland.

We dropped to second in the table after a 1 v 1 home draw with Nottingham Forest at Roker Park. It was 1 v 1 until 5 minutes before the end and a frantic finale saw 2 quick goals. And so to Maine Road and another draw, this time 3 v 3. With the season not 2 months old we had "endured" 4 draws. All in all we would draw 15 out of our 38 games, undoubtedly the reason why we failed in our quest for the championship. Manchester city were down to 10 men for most of the game after Wilkinson had been stretchered off.

The 4 v 0 home win over Everton once more owed to injury for the opponents with The toffees MacConachie taken off with a twisted ankle. The floodgates opened and Mordue, Holley and again Coleman did the damage. So we remained unbeaten and regained the championship lead. In front of 16,000 fans at Owlerton we fought out our fifth draw of the season with Sheffield Wednesday. By 12 November and our 3 v 1 triumph over Bristol city, we were the only unbeaten team in England, Coleman this time scored twice.

19 November 1910 saw the first Tyne Wear local derby game at St James Park. That the game would finish up all square at 1 v 1 wasn’t the talking point. Goalkeeper Roose broke his arm, after a tackle by Rutherford, and this effectively ended his career. Sunderland would then "go through" 6 different goalkeepers in the next decade. Bridgett took Roose’s place in goal, as the Welshman was taken to Newcastle royal Infirmary.

By this time it was looking all too easy for Sunderland and spurs arrived on Wearside quaking in there boots. They were right to do so as we whacked them 4 v 0, with Mordue, a brace from Coleman and Bridgett once more hammering the nails into the spurs coffin. Then something dramatic at Ayresome Park.

With parliamentary elections due on the Monday the Middlesbrough chairman, Lieutenant colonel Poole, thought that his candidature and votes might be boosted by a Teesside victory. Charlie Thomson was offered £30 by the opposition manager Andy Walker to throw the game. Thomson himself would benefit to the tune of £10 and the rest of the team £2. Thomson immediately informed Billy Williams, who made Fred Taylor aware of the situation. Both the chairman and manager of Middlesbrough were removed from the Football Association. It didn’t matter in the end cause Sunderland lost 1 v 0 and Poole lost the election.

So the run game to an end at the 15th game of the campaign.

Preston north end were next up and arrived on Wearside having never won on red and white soil. This continued, but only just as we huffed and puffed to a 1 v 1 draw with Bridgett scoring after 25 minutes. With our unbeaten run at an end we drew at Meadow Lane and then we travelled to Manchester United, where after a titanic struggle we were defeated 1 v 2.

We atoned for this defeat on Boxing Day at Anfield, where having won the toss a Coleman brace saw us home 2 v 1. After the first defeat we seemed to acquire a taste for it and decided that a 0 v 2 defeat from Sheffield United was due.  The difference was in the defending where The Blades never gave us an inch.

2 January and the first game of the New Year saw us complete the double over Liverpool with an emphatic 4 v 0 whitewash. The goals were evenly spread as first Holley, the Mordue, Coleman and Cowell all got in on the act. By now the "A" team were once more in full flow and showed everyone the way home. The holiday New Year period was particularly productive as first West Stanley and then neighbours Sunderland royal rovers capitulated. It was no surprise; we had real strength in depth.

All in all though January was the worst month of the season as we lost 3 off the belt, one by Norwich city seeing us out of the English cup at the first hurdle. The result was a major surprise as The Canaries were a southern League team at the time. The game in Norfolk saw the ground records broken in terms of crowd and receipts, 11,333 and £550 respectively. Sunderland were a major attraction wherever they went.

Our first trip to Oldham ended in the 3rd defeat of this mini slump, and to be truthful the place would hold bad memories for many Sunderland fans, with constant reverses at boundary Park. We came from 2 goals down against Woolwich Arsenal to share the spoils and into February we won 3 and drew 1 to get things back on track.

Milton opened the scoring for bury, but we came from behind to thrash the shaker 4 v 1, the tie at Ewood Park was a benefit game for Harry foster, which raised £300 for him, from a 12,000 crowd.

The return at forest 18 February saw Ridley from Newcastle make his debut for the home side, whilst for Sunderland Worrall did likewise for Sunderland in goal. The number 1 position would be a problem for Sunderland after the demise of Roose.

Even with our renewed impetus the crowd wasn’t impressed, and only 8,000 bothered to turn up for the 4 v 0 hammering of Manchester city. To be fair the English cup tie at Newcastle was attracting the major interest that day. The "A" team kept winning, and on the same day that the seniors were drawing at Everton, Allan and company were disposing of Workington 4 v 0.

An 11 March home defeat by Sheffield Wednesday was surprising, not just for the fact that Roker Park defeats were rare, but also because Bridgett had given Sunderland the lead from the penalty spot. Not many teams came from behind to beat the red and whites on Wearside. A 6 match unbeaten run came to an end.

2 days later and Tommy Tait played his first game for Scotland at the age of 31. He appeared in the 2 v 2 draw against Wales. In time he would be transferred to Dundee after almost 200 games for Sunderland, but returned to the North East during the First World War to work in the shipyards.

After a 1 v 1 draw at Ashton Gate the directors were in no mood to mess about, and in an effort to secure the Championship recruited a man who was destined to become an all time great on Wearside. His name; Charlie Buchan.

At round about the same time Buchan was secured we also acquired the services of Harry Martin from Nottingham. With the advent of Buchan it resulted in the famed Cuggy, Mordue, Buchan partnership, without equal at that time. Charlie Buchan actually made his Sunderland debut in Ireland, Grosvenor Park, Belfast to against the Distillery team. The maestro scored 2 in a 5 v 2 win. The game attracted a good crowd of some 12,000 and in order to put on an impressive show the team from Ireland had recruited Hanna and Darling from Linfield, Connor from Belfast Celtic, Palmer from Cliftonville and Napier from Glentoran. It didn’t do them much good. We were ahead after 15 minutes and never looked back.

Buchan had to wait for his home debut as he travelled to North London with his new team mates to take on spurs at white Hart Lane. Harry Low scored in a 1 v 1 draw. After the spurs game Buchan packed his bags and went to live in Sunderland. He commented that how after arriving on Wearside it didn’t stop snowing for 4 days.

Charlie’s home debut eventually arrived on 8 April and a game against Middlesbrough. He was up against such players as Tim Williamson the England goalkeeper and George Elliott, a maestro of a centre forward. Sunderland won 3 v 0 with Low notching a splendid hat trick. Buchan was brilliant and as he came off the field his team mate, inside left Jimmy Gemmell said to him, "if you keep playing like that you'll be king of Sunderland"...how prophetic !!

And so to Buchan’s first taste of defeat in a red and white shirt, at Valley Parade, where Bradford city deserved their 3 v 0 success. The game was poignant for Sunderland supporting, South Shields born Cassidy, who made his debut for the home side.

The season was now coming to a close and we threw the chance of the championship away at bury where the bottom of the table side managed to gain a 0 v 0 draw. Coleman and Low once more contributed to an away success, this time over Preston north end, before our last home match of the season against Notts county, where as if to encapsulate the season perfectly we drew again, this time 1 v 1. Buchan did however notch his first competitive goal for Sunderland after 12 minutes, and strange it was too.

Sunderland had forced a corner and the ball dropped into the net. The county goalkeeper Ironmonger thought he had been fouled and duly placed the ball appropriately. The goal was given and inevitable protests followed, but the goal stood.

Buchan had encountered some rough house tactics before he scored. Having tricked the county left back Montgomery the burly defender said to Buchan "don’t do that again son", Buchan did, and ended up shoulder charged just one foot from the fencing perimeter, flat on his back. The left back looked and said "I told you not to do it again", Buchan refrained for the rest of the game.

Prior to the finale, at Manchester United, Sunderland travelled to Easter road Edinburgh for a friendly game with Hibernian. We never got into our stride and lost 0 v 3. The last game at the Red Devils witnessed a 1 v 5 rout of the Lads and United took the title.

The annual report for the season was most satisfactory, showing that the debit balance of £494 from the previous year had been wiped out and a healthy surplus of some £250 returned. The league position of 3rd was creditable, and the "A" team has just missed out on the north Eastern championship, ending second. They did however have the consolation of the Shipowners Cup. Director CE Thompson had by now died, and was replaced by GA short.