In 1928, Depor failed to qualify for the first ever Primera División and took part in the Segunda División where it finished 8th out of 10. The team keep battling next years in a division that was going to suffer many structural and geographical changes. In 1932, Depor defeated Real Madrid in the Cup, which had gone unbeaten through the entire season in the league.
In 1936, the Spanish civil war broke out, so official competitions were abandoned until the 1939-40 season. That year, The Herculeans made a brilliant season qualifying for promotion stage. The final game was against archrivals Celta de Vigo who were fighting for avoid relegation. Celta won by 1-0 and remained in the top flight as Depor's expectations of promotion were denied. By the way, next season another brilliant campaign led the club to a final match against Murcia. Depor won by 2-1 and achieve promotion to La Liga for the first time in their history.
The first season in the top flight finished with a remarkable 4th place. Following seasons, marked 9th, 12th and 14th position in 1945 which led the club to relegation. Instant promotion was achieved next year but Depor were relegated again by the end of the 1946-47 season. Once again, the team gained promotion next season, in 1948.
This decade saw Depor's entrance in the top flight, so the club decided to build up a new ground, Riazor which is still their home. It was opened on 28 October 1944 with a league game against Valencia. By this era, the key player of the team was Juan Acuña, club's keeper. Xanetas as he was known by locals picked up four Zamora Trophies between 1942 and 1951, what makes him the second most awarded keeper ever in the Spanish league.
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