Kammala wannan jumla: City ta kasa cin nasarar ci gaba na tsawon shekaru uku, har sai hukumar ta nada tsohon dan wasan Ingila Roy McFarland a matsayin manajan a watan Mayu 1981. McFarland ya sami ci gaba a kakar wasa ta farko, amma tsohuwar kulob dinsa Derby County ta kwace shi bayan watanni shida kawai. City ta sami diyya daga Derby kuma ta sanya wani dan wasan Ingila Trevor Cherry a matsayin wanda zai maye gurbin McFarland. Cherry, tare da tsohon abokin aikinsa Terry Yorath a matsayin mataimakin kocinsa, ya kasa cin nasara har tsawon watanni biyu, amma a ƙarshe ma'auratan sun jagoranci City zuwa aminci daga koma baya. A lokacin bazara, duk da haka, shugaban kulob din Bob Martin dole ne ya kira masu karɓar hukuma. Tsohon shugaban kungiyar Stafford Heginbotham da tsohon memba na kwamitin Jack Tordoff ne suka ceci kungiyar, amma don tabbatar da kulob din zai iya fara sabon kakar wasa, kyautar kyauta, an sayar da dan wasan Bobby Campbell zuwa Derby. City ta yi gwagwarmaya amma haka Campbell ya yi, kuma lokacin da ya dawo, kulob din ya ci gaba da rikodin nasara goma a jere. Kodayake sun rasa ci gaba, City ta lashe gasar a kakar wasa ta gaba 1984/85, don komawa matakin na biyu na Football League. Duk da haka, nasarar da City ta samu ta kasance a cikin inuwa ta hanyar
bala'in wuta, wanda ya kashe mutane 56 lokacin da Valley Parade ya kama wuta a wasan karshe na kakar wasa.