Pickup could not finish the match, having suffered a kick serious enough to keep him out of the second round tie; this took place in northern Ireland, as the club was drawn away to Distillery, and won 4–2.

[21] The club's run ended in a third round replay at home to Darwen, the sides having drawn at Barley Bank, and nearly 6,000 turning up to Witton Park for the second game.

[21] The game was "unusually exciting" and was held up for ten minutes after a fight between Hothersall of Witton and Thurnber of Darwen provoked a pitch invasion.

[24] In a portent for the future of the game, Witton were without two of their key players (Haresnape and Almond), as both had already agreed to play League football for Blackburn Rovers.

On 27 April 1888, at the Royal Hotel, Crewe, representatives of 12 clubs that had missed out on the League - including Witton - met with the view of forming an alternative competition, to be called the Football Combination.

[31] It lost its one FA Cup tie in 1889–90, to South Shore in a qualifying round, and in 1890–91 finally joined a league - the revived Combination, featuring some of the clubs that had taken part in the original, plus some other more marginal sides from the north.

By this time, Witton was consigned to the East Lancashire Charity Shield competition, for junior teams, rather than the Cup, for seniors.

Witton finally joined the Lancashire League for 1891–92, finished bottom but one, and was suspended for non-payment of a debt of 30 shillings.

[32] The club seems to have ceased playing football after this, as it did not enter the FA Cup after 1891–92,[33] although it arranged sports days at Witton Park for the next few years.

[34] The next season the club had changed jerseys to black and white "quarters" (or halves, in today's parlance), but kept the knickers and stockings.