up. When Hinckley returned to action the season was one of up and down, but held on to a play-off spot, eventually rallying on and off the field to secure fourth place in the league, reaching the play-off final, but missing out on promotion conceding a last minute penalty. Off the pitch things gathered pace with the development of the club. Middlefield Lane was sold for £4 million which funded De Montfort Park, a purpose-built 4329-capacity football ground. The move away from Middlefield Lane happened on 5 March 2005 when the first game at the new De Montfort Park Stadium was played. Attendances increased at the new stadium and a home league attendance record was set for Hinckley when nearly 2900 watched Hinckley draw with Nuneaton on boxing day 2006. Following from the play-off final defeat, Hinckley United struggled the following season and were involved in a relegation battle throughout. Despite being bottom of the league at Christmas, relegation was avoided by a nine-game unbeaten run at the end of the season, ensuring survival in the penultimate game. The next few season were treated as consolidation, as financial hardship hit the club off the field. Lack of proper budgeting the previous seasons meant the club were unable to meet debts, and the HMRC petitioned the courts for a winding up order. The football club was also sanctioned with a registration embargo, limiting the number of players at the club to a maximum of 16. Over two years were spent with the club trying to finance and settle the debts, gaining adjournments from the courts, and the debt was finally settled in November 2010. Players left the club, due to the financial issues, and season 2010–11 saw a virtual fresh team of players start for Hinckley. Again it was a battle against relegation, but after the registration embargo was lifted in November 2010, some new players were brought in and Hinckley dragged themselves away from the relegation zone towards a mid table finish. Another season of struggle and financial hardship followed in season 2011–12 and the club were relegated on the final day of the season, though finished on 48 points, the highest points total to be relegated from the Conference North. On 25 May 2012, the F.A published their proposed club allocations for the 2012–13 non-league season proposing Hinckley United would be in the Conference North after both Darlington and