He then moved back into non-League football with Rushden & Diamonds, but soon made loan returns to the League with Torquay United and Shrewsbury Town.

[20] His debut for Brentford came in a 2–1 away defeat to Leyton Orient on 21 November 1998, and scored 1 goal in 15 appearances, before returning to Rotherham for a fee of £35,000 in February 1999.

[20] He scored 8 goals in 17 appearances as Rotherham made the Third Division play-offs, which saw them lose to Leyton Orient in a penalty shoot-out in the semi-final.

[24] By the end of the season, Cardiff's rivals Swansea City were believed to be ready to make an attempt at signing Fortune-West.

[25] He scored Cardiff's second goal in their play-off semi-final first leg match against Stoke City, which finished as a 2–1 away victory in April 2002.

[28] Cardiff qualified for the play-offs in 2002–03 with a sixth-place finish,[29] and were promoted after beating Queens Park Rangers in the final, although Fortune-West was not part of the matchday squad.

[42] He returned into non-League football after he signed for Conference National club Rushden & Diamonds in June 2006 on a two-year contract.

[43] He joined Torquay United of League Two on loan in September 2006 as cover for the injured Mickey Evans,[44] but was recalled by Rushden due to an injury crisis in early November 2006.

[47] His Shrewsbury debut came as a 60th-minute substitute in a 2–0 away defeat to Milton Keynes Dons on 18 November 2006,[46] after hoping he would be able to play in the FA Cup tie against Hereford United.

[49] Following Shrewsbury's 2–0 home win over Notts County in February 2007, manager Gary Peters referred to Fortune-West as 'Ronseal', as he does "exactly what it says on the tin".

[54][55] He started his Cambridge career by scoring four goals in the first three matches, which included a hat-trick in their 5–1 home victory over Farsley Celtic on 21 August 2007.

[60] He featured in Cambridge's play-off semi-final second leg 2–1 home win over Burton Albion; this result meant the team reached the final 4–3 on aggregate.

[69] He made his debut in a 3–2 home victory over Hyde United on 9 August 2008[70] and scored two headers late on in the following match, a 2–2 away draw with Solihull Moors.

[74] Fortune-West joined Northern Premier League Division One South club Goole in July 2009,[75] debuting in a 1–1 home draw with Carlton Town on 15 August 2009.