After this the club went into an almost constant decline. Their relegation to the Southern League Premier Division in 1996–97 was followed by relegation to Division One West in 1998–99 and then to the Midland Football Alliance in 2000–01. Promotion back to the Southern League was gained at the first attempt under the management of Gary Hackett and Jon Ford, but the club still found itself a long way removed from its successes of the early 1990s. From an average support of 1,500 per game in the first Conference season, attendance was frequently as low as the mid 200s.