club by its Supporters' Club. Becoming a full-time professional necessitated giving up a degree course at the University of Greenwich. Football League Fortune-West's first season at Gillingham, 1995–96, saw him score in each of his first three league matches. He was Gillingham's top scorer with 15 goals from 45 appearances, as the club earned promotion to the Second Division as Third Division runners-up. Having made eight appearances and scored three goals for Gillingham during 1996–97, he joined Leyton Orient on loan in March 1997 until the end of the season, making three appearances. He signed for Second Division club Lincoln City on a free transfer in June 1998, and after making 11 appearances and scoring 1 goal, was loaned out to Rotherham United in the Third Division. He scored four goals in five appearances during a one-month loan spell, before Brentford signed him for a £60,000 fee in November 1998. His debut for Brentford came in a 2–1 away defeat to Leyton Orient on 21 November 1998, and scored 1 goal in 15 appearances, before returning to Rotherham for a fee of £35,000 in February 1999. He scored 8 goals in 17 appearances as Rotherham made the Third Division play-offs, which saw them lose to Leyton Orient in a penalty shoot-out in the semi-final. The 1999–2000 season saw Fortune-West finish as Rotherham's top scorer with 17 goals in 43 appearances, while the club won promotion to the Second Division as Third Division runners-up. After a month into 2000–01, he joined Cardiff City of the Third Division for a fee of £300,000 on 11 September 2000. They earned promotion to the Second Division as Third Division runners-up, and he scored 13 goals from 41 appearances over the season. By the end of the season, Cardiff's rivals Swansea City were believed to be ready to make an attempt at signing Fortune-West. He scored Cardiff's second goal in their play-off semi-final first leg match against Stoke City, which finished as a 2–1 away victory in April 2002. However, after featuring in a 2–0 home defeat in the second leg, Cardiff missed out on making the final, losing 3–2 on aggregate. He finished 2001–02 with 44 appearances and 11 goals. Cardiff qualified for the play-offs in 2002–03 with a sixth-place finish, and were promoted after beating Queens Park Rangers in the final, although Fortune-West was not part of the matchday squad. He was released