Jim Smith started his first spell as manager in 1981, and led Oxford into the top tier of English football after consecutive promotions as champions in 1984 and 1985. However, he moved to Queens Park Rangers before the 1985–86 season. New manager, former chief scout Maurice Evans, had immediate success winning the 1986 League Cup, beating his predecessor's new club in the final. For the next 24 years, the only manager to guide the club to promotion was Denis Smith, who won promotion from the Second Division in 1996. Ramón Díaz, the club's first and only non-British manager, took charge for five months between December 2004 and May 2005. Jim Smith returned as manager in 2006, the year that Oxford United were relegated to the Football Conference after 44 years in the Football League. Having missed out on promotion in the 2006–07 season, Smith resigned and Darren Patterson was promoted to the post on 9 November 2007.