The 1975-76 campaign went marvellously well for City as they were outstanding through out. They were comfortable in the league, finishing the season off in 8th position. They found a lot of success in the league cup, they were outstanding throughout the competition and found themselves in the final. They met Newcastle in the final and won the encounter 2-1. City was inspired by their new signing Joe Royle and Joe Corrigan in goal. Winning the FA Cup surged their confidence the following season as they were impressive in the league. Their great performances earned them a final position of second in the league, come what the end of the campaign. It proved to be Alan Oakes last season playing for the club as well; however his departure did not affect them.
City continued their great displays the following season, as they faired well in the league, finishing off their campaign in an impressive 4th position. They reached the quarter finals of the league cup, however they crashed out, losing 2-1 to Arsenal. The 1978-79 season saw Manchester City once again reach the last eight of the League cup, on this occasion they lost 2-1 to Southampton. They plummeted in the league, finishing off in 15th position, it was clear that their hold in English football was at threat.
The summer of 1979 saw the record signing of Eva Daley for a staggering £1.5 million, however twenty months later, this proved to be a poor deal. He made little impact during his debut season at the club and City could only manage to finish in a lowly 17th position by the end of the campaign in the league.