Barry Fry had become Dunstable manager towards the end of the 1973–74 season, and with chairman Keith Cheeseman providing him with blank cheques, Fry attracted several big name players to the club, most notably Jeff Astle and George Best, as well as arranging a friendly match against his former club Manchester United. Although Best only played in two friendly matches and made no competitive appearances for the club, Astle stayed at the club for that season and scored 34 goals as they finished as Division One South runners-up, earning promotion to the Premier Division. However, huge debts caused the club to fold midway through the 1975–76 season; a new club under the name Dunstable was formed to take over their fixtures. Despite finishing eighth in the league, they were demoted to Division One North.