Jimmy Hampson played for Nelson between 1926 and 1927. On 10 April 1926 a record attendance of 14,143 at Seedhill, saw a 2–2 draw with Bradford Park Avenue. For a town with a population of under 40,000 the attendance were considered impressive. They reached the second round of the FA Cup in 1926–27, beating Stockport County at home 4–1 in the first round, before losing 2–1 away to Ashington in the second round. That season they finished 5th, however the club then started to struggle in the league and finished in last place in 1927–28, conceding 135 goals, and they were also struggling financially and found themselves £6,500 in debt. They were though re-elected to the league. In 1930–31 they reached the second round of the FA Cup for a second time. In the first round they beat Workington 4–0 then lost 2–1 to York City in a replay after a 1–1 draw. However, they again struggled in the league, dropping to last place on Boxing Day 1930, where they stayed for the rest of the season. After finishing bottom of the league for a second time, they failed to win re-election and were voted out of the Football League after a second vote, following a tie. They were replaced by Chester City. The club's last game in the Football League was a 4–0 defeat to Hull City on 2 May 1931. The club then dropped back into the Lancashire Combination where on 7 August 1936 they folded again after incurring a big loss. Hastily reformed as Nelson Town, the "new" club entered the local Nelson & Colne League in time for the 1936–7 season and duly lost their first fixture at Seedhill against James Nelson SC 3–2. After completing two seasons in local football the club announced after their final game at Gargrave in 1939 that the following season would see them return to senior football in the West Lancashire League. Sadly only two games were played before events in Europe dictated a seven-year absence of League football in Nelson.