It took Diddy ten years, in 1987, to make a return to the Hellenic Premier Division after finishing in third place behind champions Bishops Cleeve and runners-up Cheltenham Town Reserves. The club benefited from Hellenic League rules which prevented Cheltenham Reserves from participating in the Premier Division and Didcot took the second and last promotion spot. The season was rounded off with success in the Division One Challenge Cup, where Cheltenham Town Reserves, again the victims, were defeated 2-0 in the final.

The club remained in the Premier Division for the next six campaigns, and managed a notable honour in 1992 when they lifted the Premier Division Cup (Banbury United defeated 3-0 in the final). Despite this success the following season resulted in disappointment with relegation to Division One.

However, within three years the club was re-instated to the Premier League.

Under the guidance of popular manager Robert Dodd the club had a highly successful season in 1997 lifting the League Cup, the pre-season Clanfield Cup and the midweek Hungerford Cup. But tragedy wasn’t too far away and the club was heartbroken when Dodd, aged just 44, passed away in June 1998.

One of the most significant events in the club’s 100 years was the move to the impressive new Loop Meadow Stadium.

As part of the redevelopment of Didcot town centre, Didcot Town FC were forced to relocate from their old Station Road ground for the start of the 1999/2000 season. The club moved onto the ever growing Ladygrove housing estate, the other side of the railway-line that cuts the town in two, but only a few hundred yards as the crow flies from the old home.

With good foresight the committee at the time decided to spend the majority of the money raised from selling the Station Road site (land which is now underneath Sainsbury's car-park) on the club infrastructure including a magnificent main pitch. Alongside a second full size pitch, the new facility boasted a large function room, executive suite, a supporter’s bar (called Doddy's, in memory of the late manager) and state-of-the-art physio room.

The first competitive match at the Loop Meadow was a 2-0 reverse against fellow Oxfordshire outfit Banbury Utd in front of 220 spectators. In forthcoming seasons crowds in excess of 200 were to become the norm as the club attracted a large and dedicated following both home and away.

The move to the new ground also had a significant impact on the club’s playing fortunes. In fact, the club established itself as one of the most consistent performers in the Hellenic Premier Division over the next 7 years, never finishing outside the top seven. And along the way silverware was lifted in the form of the Berks & Bucks Senior Trophy (2001 and 2003), the League’s Supplementary Cup (2003) and the Challenge Cup (2004).

Under new manager Stuart Peace Season 2004-2005 ended up as arguably the most successful in the club’s history so far following a memorable 3-2 win in the final of the FA Vase at White Hart Lane against pre-tournament favourites AFC Sudbury. This came on the back of the club retaining the League Challenge Cup with a 5-1 win against Carterton. Didcot came agonizingly close to claiming the treble but failed to win the League by a point despite amassing 97 points and winning 31 of their 42 matches. The club also ended with their best ever defensive record, just 21 League goals conceded including a remarkable 19 clean sheets at the Loop Meadow.

After a wait of 53 years the team finally brought the Hellenic League trophy back to Didcot in 2006 and with it the club ensured a move up into the Southern League for the first time. The Berks & Bucks Senior Trophy and the Hellenic League Challenge Cup were also claimed, the latter to make Didcot the first club to win the competition three times in a row. The League triumph broke all records with Town becoming the first club to reach more than 100 points in a season in the Hellenic League and the average points per game (2.63) gave Didcot the best record of any club at level 5 or above in British football that year.

The Loop Meadow Stadium is regarded as having one of the finest playing surfaces in the area. As a result the club has been able to regularly stage pre-season friendlies against Reading and Oxford United, and also host both Reading and Oxford Reserve matches. The largest crowd ever seen at the Loop for a match involving Didcot was in excess of 2600 in July 2006 when newly promoted Reading played their full-strength team against us. Incredibly Didcot took an early lead…unfortunately the Premiership new-comers hit back with nine goals of their own.

Southern League status was retained in the first year, and only a narrow defeat to Oxford City in the 2008 play-offs denied Diddy promotion the season following. But they didn’t have too long to wait.

A late run at the end of the season saw the club sneak into the play-offs, and following a victory at Windsor & Eton in the play-off semi-final, promotion to the Southern League Premier Division achieved in a 2-1 extra-time win at AFC Totton.

Diddy managed to retain their Premier Division place after finishing a creditable 15th position in 2009/10. A similar position may well have been realized the following season, but for the financial meltdown and mid-season demise of Windsor & Eton FC. Didcot were the only side to have taken 6 points off them at the time they folded, and with their record expunged, the lost points plunged Diddy to the bottom of the table where they never recovered.

Relegation back to the South & West Division also heralded an unprecedented turnover in managers. Stuart Peace had resigned in January, only weeks before the 6 point deduction. Ex-wales international Ady Williams took-over but he was to leave in the summer due to his media and television commitments. Francis Vines and then (ironically) the ex-Windsor & Eton boss David Mudge followed, the latter seeing Didcot to a mid-table finish at the end of the 2012 campaign.

Ex-Wimbledon and Swindon Town professional Gary Elkins was appointed two months into the 2012-13 season. Elkins marked a return to the club appointing a local manager living and working in and around Didcot; a throwback to the early years of the club more than a hundred years ago.

Elkins resigned at the end of that campaign and briefly replaced by Andy Wallbridge. Then in November 2013 record club goalscorer Ian Concannon and veteran defender Jamie Heapy were appointed as joint managers.

Jamie and Ian's managerial reign started on a high for Didcot. After successfully steering Didcot away from a potential relegation battle to comfortable in mid table.

Their first full season in 14/15 had many highs and lows. An early FA Cup exit gave Didcot a chance to go unbeaten for 5 months in the league. Within the unbeaten run, Didcot made an FA Trophy which saw The Railwaymen take on Conference side Forest Green Rovers at The New Lawn. Despite the league position and being 2-0 down, John Mills and Lance Williams scored to force FGR to a replay at The Loop. A Jon Parkin hat trick ended any hopes of a shock in the replay however a memorable cup run and a serious test against a very good side.

Pictured above right is Loop Meadow Stadium during construction in 1998.