the quarter-finals; A 1965 quarter-final appearance of which holds the club record attendance (7,301) in a 3–1 loss to Hendon. On 18 March 1968, floodlights were installed around Hillheads Park; marked by a friendly match against Newcastle United. Decline and then recovery (1973–1988) Fortunes began to fade from the mid-1970s before having to re-apply to the Northern League as a result of coming last in the 1979–80 campaign. Success remained limited in the aftermath of re-election, with successive finishes of 19th, 19th, 13th, and 9th—during the early 1980s. Former player, Bobby Graham, was appointed first team manager in 1986. Graham's first season marked Whitley Bay's highest league position in 15 years (5th), their best-ever FA Trophy campaign (reaching the final sixteen) and their first Northumberland Senior Cup since 1973 (beating Newcastle Blue Star, 2–1, in the final at Hillheads Park). The team then sustained a title challenge for the majority of the following season before finishing 4th in midst of numerous injuries. Northern Premier League members (1988–2000) Division One (1988–1991) Whitley Bay left the Northern Football League after 30 successive years in the division, applying for promotion to the second tier of the Northern Premier League (NPL) at the end of the 1987–88 season. In their debut season in the NPL Division One, The Seahorses finished 5th. The team then followed it up with 4th place the season after, in a campaign that also saw them record their best–ever FA Cup run, when they reached the Third Round Proper, beating Scarborough of the fourth tier and Preston North End of the third, before losing 1–0 to Rochdale. In only their third season, Whitley Bay became champions of the Northern Premier League Division One, gaining promotion to the Northern Premier League Premier Division. Premier Division (1991–1995) Whitley Bay only spent four seasons at the club's zenith. 17th in both the first and second season, the highest-ever final league position to date of 11th in the third, before 21st place relegation in the fourth sent the club back to Northern Premier League Division One Division One (1995–2000) Following relegation at the end of the 1994–95 season, Whitley Bay returned to the NPL Division One, finishing 8th in their first season back. The Seahorses then followed it up with 12th in the second season, 13th in the third, and 19th in the fourth. The Bay then finished 22nd and bottom in 1999–2000, being