South Shields applied and with 28 votes, they were elected to the Football League Second Division.[1] The club's first seven seasons saw them finish in the top half of the table every season except 1922–23.[7] However, after finishing nineteenth in 1926–27, they ended the following season bottom of the table and were relegated to the Third Division North.[7] With the club suffering from financial problems, in 1930 they relocated to nearby Gateshead and were renamed Gateshead Association Football Club.[8]