after leaving in the summer of 1982, joe royle took over as the club's manager during which time oldham again had a successful period. under royle, the club won 225 games of 608—a slightly higher winning percentage than under frizzell. in the early 1990s, under royle, oldham reached the semi-finals of the fa cup and the final of the football league cup, losing every time. however, in the 1990–91 season, the club won the football league second division and were promoted to the first division for the first time in over 70 years. in the 1992–93 season, oldham was a group of 24 teams that were the founding members of the premier league—england's top division of football. after royle's departure to everton f.c., oldham struggled and were relegated twice in four seasons.