In 1974, Batsford left to manage Wimbledon and took several players with him. Walton & Hersham were relegated in 1975 and, although they reached the FA Cup First Round again in the 1975–76 season, they went close to extinction in the late 1970s. They inspired the name of punk band Sham 69 (who formed in 1976), as they derived it from a piece of graffiti which read 'Walton & Hersham 69'. Despite briefly having Sir Stanley Matthews as President, the club endured a lean period throughout the 1980s.