the decade on a high note, again winning promotion and the Hampshire Intermediate Cup in 1978 followed by arguably their finest hour a year later when they won Division 2 title and unexpectedly defeated Farnborough Town 1–0 in the Hampshire Senior Cup final played at The Dell. The 1980s saw Romsey consolidate in Division 1 before becoming founder members of the Wessex League in 1986. Here they soon became a strong force, and after some encouraging campaigns, they clinched the title in 1990 and enjoyed numerous good cup runs, most notably in 1990 when they lost 1–2 at home to Littlehampton Town in the 4th Qualifying Round of the FA Cup. A change of personnel saw Romsey fall into decline, and after a nightmare season in 1993 they were relegated back to Division 1 of the Hampshire League, from where they were again relegated. This was despite the club running an extremely successful Youth System with Phil Glass Under 18s winning the Wessex Youth League and reaching Quarter final of FA Youth Cup where they were narrowly beaten by Yeovil Towns Full-time Apprentices, The team captained by Paul Mabey were expected to boost the club for years to come but reluctance by senior management to pick youth meant players were lost for several years, Despite these setbacks, Romsey bounced back and within two years with high profile local players returning such as Mabey, Paul Glass, Glenn Burnett, Peter Kelly, Stuart Carpenter & James Kirby the good times returned to the Bypass Ground and they won the Southampton Senior Cup and promotion back to the Wessex League. However, they struggled in what had become a much harder competition. In 1998, Romsey were again relegated back to the Hampshire League and a series of managers and large turn-over of players saw them slip into the league's third division. In 2003, the club hit an all-time low when they bottom but the club were re-elected, and since then they have enjoyed a remarkable upturn in fortunes. In 2004 the Wessex League absorbed the original Hampshire League and due to their facilities Romsey were placed in Division 1 and after some encouraging final placings they won promotion in 2007 back to the top flight, now known as the Premier Division. In the 2007–08 season with manager Glenn Burnett at the helm Romsey's team spirit was at an all-time high. The team were performing well