In the vote they finished third, ahead of existing members Port Vale and Crewe Alexandra, and were elected into the Second Division.

In 1937–38 Trinity beat Port Vale in the first round, before losing to fellow non-League club Yeovil & Petters United.

[3] Another Football League team was beaten the following season, when Trinity knocked out Gateshead in the first round, before losing to Doncaster Rovers.

[6] The 1983–84 season saw them reach the first round of the FA Cup for the first time in over a decade, as they lost 2–0 at home to Blackpool.

[3] FA Cup first round appearances followed in 2006–07 (a 3–1 defeat by Barnet) and 2007–08 (a 6–0 loss at home to Hartlepool United).

During the 2012–13 season they reached the semi-finals of the FA Trophy and managed to beat Wrexham 2–1 at home but would lose 4–3 on aggregate.

[11] During their time in the Football League the club also played home matches at the Bowling Green Ground in the north-west of the town and Sincil Bank in Lincoln when the Northolme was being used for cricket.

[11] The record attendance of 9,760 was set for a Midland League match against local rivals Scunthorpe United in 1948.

[2] Gainsborough Trinity's location on the bank of the River Trent pits them against a host of clubs from Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire.

The most noted local derbies for Gainsborough are against Boston United and Worksop Town, as both clubs have spent numerous seasons in both the Northern Premier League and Conference North divisions with Trinity.