The second hand match played in Prijedor in front of a 10,000 spectators crowd, the team aware of the importance of the match has tremble and ended up losing by 1–3. In this generation are found players like: Janković, Hidić, Vukelja, A. Bašić, Porobić, Škondro, Gombović, Vidović, Ličina, Mandić, Bevandić, Damjanović and Crnkić. The coach was Radoslav Zubanović. The defeat against Spartak had obvious consequences, and the club finished bottom of the league in 1971/72 and returned to regional republic league. However, in 1974 the club reached the 1/4 finals of the Yugoslav Cup. In 1976 the club returned to the Yugoslav Second League group West, finishing 13th, in 1977/78 was 6th but in 1978/79 was relegated. In December 1979 an entire generation of footballers that provided much success for the club played their fairway match Miroslav Janković, Ivo Baškarada, Omer Bašić, Kemal Porobić, Ante Gombović, Nikola Bevandić, Simo Damjanović, Slobodan Ličina, Aki Bašić, Emsud Ramulić and Ibrahim Okanović-Špico. In 1981 the club was even further relegated, and the recovery only began in 1983. In the season 1983/84 Rudar returned to the Second League, and the players that earned this promotion were: Sead Rešić, Vitomir Samardžija, Muhamed Cerić, Sabid Sadiković, Vinko Škondro, Mladen Parhamov, Vinko Samardžija, Goran Pekija, Zoran Vuković, Mirzet Bejzurić, Zlatko Abdulović, Fahrudin Bihorac, Edin Begović, Mladen Ćulum, Ilija Marin, Žarko Mandić, Bajram Zgog, Novo Bešević, reserves Panić, Hrvat, Duratović, and the coach Nikola Bevandić. In 1987/88 the club missed just one point and didn't qualify for the newly formed unified Yugoslav Second League by a goal difference.