The closest they came to a change were via two successful application for re-election, in 1921–22, their second season as a Football League club, and then in 1934–35,[4] and two third-place finishes, in 1931–32 and 1949–50, at a time when only the divisional champions were promoted.
[6] Southend spent six seasons at the higher level, during which time they lost a penalty shoot-out to Notts County in the semi-final of the 1993–94 Anglo-Italian Cup, before two consecutive relegations took them back whence they came.
[9] They repeated the procedure in 2013, albeit this time at the new Wembley, losing 2–0 to Crewe Alexandra and equalling Brentford's record of three final appearances without winning.
[10] Financial issues mounted in the 2019–20 season: against a background of non-payment of wages, unpaid taxes, winding-up orders and a transfer embargo meant Southend were unable to avoid relegation to League Two,[11][12] and even when the tax bill was paid after the sale of the stadium for housing, a 23rd-place finish in 2020–21 meant that Southend United dropped out of the League after 101 years' continuous membership.
[13][14] The financial and ownership issues continued: during the 2023–24 season, the National League imposed a 10-point deduction for the club's failure to clear a tax debt,[15] without which they would have finished in the play-off positions, and the latest winding-up petition was withdrawn in June 2024.