Swansea won promotion from the Fourth Division in 1988 - beating Rotherham and Torquay over two legs in the inaugural playoffs. They remained in the league's third division for the following eight seasons - the longest era of stability the club had seen since the war.

Doug Sharpe may have kept the purse strings tight, but under the guidance of Terry Yorath and then Frank Burrows, the team managed to stay in the second division, finish in the playoff semi-finals in 1993 and make their debut Wembley appearance a year later.