IT TOOK Keith Curle a split second to decide. "Wycombe," he said. And it was all he needed to say. Everyone knows what happened at Wycombe. It is unforgettable.
Notts County staged the comeback of all comebacks at Adams Park in their final away league game of last season – and it is the biggest highlight of this year for Curle, he says, as the Magpies prepare for their final game of 2012.
Talk about drama. Notts were trailing 3-2 to Wycombe Wanderers with just a minute to go, their play-off dream in League One looked to be all over, but they staged a late, late fightback, scoring twice to win 4-3, Alan Judge netting the winner in the third minute of injury time to spark pandemonium.
"We showed a never-say-die attitude that day," Curle, the Magpies' boss, recalled. "To be trailing 3-2 so late in a game and to win 4-3 is phenomenal.
"It showed total commitment from the players right to the very end. We didn't give in, we didn't throw the towel in."
Curle says the Magpies must now rediscover the unbreakable self-belief and spirit they showed that day to get back on track in their assault on the play-offs again this season.
Having won just two of their last ten league games and been humiliated in the FA Cup by League Two Rotherham United, he admits they are having a blip for the first time since he took charge at Meadow Lane way back in February.
Notts face Stevenage, who ultimately beat them into sixth place on goal-difference at the end of last season, at Broadhall Way today and Curle said: "It's still here. That spirit, determination, belief and commitment. It's just bringing that to the fore again like we did last season.
"There is a strong unity in the changing room that has been built on praise, on success, on a lot of hard work, honest endeavour and enjoyment as well.
"Yes, we're going through a blip, but the important thing is we all come through it together.
"We must all come through it in a positive frame of mind.
"What we don't want is to leave people behind. We've all got to come through it, that's supporters, owners, management, staff and players.
"We can't go pointing the finger at certain players for making mistakes in games, we've all got to come through it together."
Having topped the table earlier this season, the Magpies have slipped all the way down to tenth after 23 games, which marks the halfway stage of the campaign.
But they are still only three points adrift of sixth-placed MK Dons, who they face at Meadow Lane on New Year's Day, so Curle is entirely confident they can quickly rise again and be in the play-off frame come May.
There is every reason to believe him too, because of the job he has done since he became Notts manager ten months ago.
Their recent wobble aside, his reign so far has been hugely successful.
He almost led them into the play-offs with ten wins in their last 16 games of last season, he made some great signings in the summer, bringing in the likes of Polish goalkeeper Bartosz Bialkowski, Gary Liddle, Jamal Campbell-Ryce and Andre Boucaud, who he wants to sign permanently in January, and they are unbeaten in a club record 22 away games under his leadership.
"It's been a fantastic opportunity for me to rebuild a football club," he said, looking back on it all.
"A lot of players have come in and bought into what we want to achieve and that is very pleasing.
"We've brought some quality players here, which makes me believe there are exciting times ahead, and the brand of football we've been playing has got a lot of positive reviews from supporters.
"I think we have got to be honest now and say the condition of our pitch could potentially affect the way we want to play, but we're not just going to play long ball football, we're still going to try and play good passing football because it has brought us a lot of success so far."
And, as he looks ahead to the new year and the second half of the season, he is filled with sheer excitement.
He added: "There is everything to play for. The potential is there. My job is to make sure we bring that out of the players.
"What I can guarantee is that we will be committed."
