 Ethnikos made decent 7th-place finishes in 1979–80 and 1980–81, but the team would mostly struggle through the rest of the 1980s.In 1983–84 and 1985–86 Ethnikos reached the Quarterfinals of the Greek Cup but was then eliminated by Panathinaikos and Olympiacos, respectively.In 1986–87 Ethnikos made a very mediocre 10th-place finish, but late in the season earned one of their more memorable results – winning 6–3 away to Panathinaikos.