Gateshead end the season safely in mid-table and overall the campaign should be regarded as a success for the Heed as they safely beat the drop, unlike the previous season when they had to wait until the final day of the season to stay clear of danger. Ian Bogie was able to call on a much stronger side now and with the Tynesiders being a full-time outfit now, the hopes were higher. However, the Heed needed some time to get going and the first win of the campaign came only in September. A famous victory over Luton the week after that boosted the confidence but Gateshead were still not playing as well as they could and was closer to the drop zone than the manager would like. The poor run went on and in the early days of 2011 Gateshead were winless in more than three months, the run culminating in a 5:1 loss away at Southport. Bogie then managed to find the right formula and inspire his troops to a superb run of form in the next two months when they played the best football in the division. They ran Luton close in a 2:2 draw away from home, put seven goals past Wrexham on the road as well and secured a few more emphatic wins that underlined the attacking potential of the side. Jon Shaw was scoring goals for fun and it all looked rosy as the chairman was talking about the play-offs while the team was two games away from Wembley after racing to the semi-finals of the FA Trophy where Darlington were standing in their way. However, a narrow 3:2 loss in the first leg in which Gateshead lead 2:0 at half-time proved the watershed of their season as they could not overturn the deficit in the second leg and suddenly the rest of the season was academic for them with nothing left to play for. Morale was shot down and despite Bogie's best efforts, the players looked disinterested and won just two of their last 15 games and that was against the two worst teams in the league. It all culminated on the final day of the season when Newport County won 7:1 at Gateshead's ground which left Bogie with some uneasy questions to answer in the close season as he needs to rectify his team's tendency to blow hot and cold.
