The 1980s steel crisis forced the club to turn professional, and after several seasons of struggles to prevent relegation, the tide turned in 1991 when Gueugnon reached the semi-finals of the Coupe de France where the club was defeated by AS Monaco. In 1995, Gueugnon earned were officially promoted to Division 1 for the first time in the club's history after finishing runner-up in the second division, behind EA Guingamp. The promotion was short-lived, though, as the club returned to the lower league after an unsuccessful debut season.