The 1945–46 season was Port Vale's third and final season of football in the wartime league system of World War II. Under the management of Billy Frith and chairmanship of Tom Flint, Vale secured a strong third‑place finish with 24 points, positioned eight points behind champions Queens Park Rangers.
In cup competition, the club reached the third round of the FA Cup, producing a commendable two‑leg display against Bradford (Park Avenue) after earlier victories over Wellington Town and Marine — but ultimately bowed out on aggregate score. Meanwhile, their form in the Third Division (South) North Cup was less impressive, finishing 8th with 14 points.
Bill Pointon led the scoring charts with 19 goals in all competitions, including nine in the league, while Alf Bellis chimed in with 16 across all formats. The campaign drew an average home attendance of 7,212, peaking at 11,388 for the fixture versus Queens Park Rangers on 30 March, and dipping to 2,632 at the low‑attended match against Notts County on 26 January.
Overall, Vale ended the 1945–46 season in robust shape, laying a solid foundation for a return to regular Football League competition in 1946–47.
Overview The Port Vale management was concerned to learn that they were to compete in the Third Division (South) region for the 1945–46 season, which they felt would result in less revenue and greater expenditure than being in the North division, even though they were still somewhat confusingly placed in the North region of the South Division. They appointed 33-year-old former Coventry City half-back Billy Frith as the club's new manager, as predecessor David Pratt was unable to gain release from the Royal Air Force. Again, the playing squad was made up mainly of young players and guests, with Scottish inside-right Isaac McDowell being a regular guest. They opened the campaign with three victories from three games, Ralph Gregory proving a revelation on leave from the Royal Marines, scoring a hat-trick in a 4–3 win at Norwich City. However, seven games without a victory began with the return fixture with Norwich, before they were boosted by the return of the now demobilised goalkeeper Arthur Jepson. They picked up six of a possible eight points in October. They continued their good form until the end of the New Year's Day league programme. They finished in third place with 24 points in 20 games, eight points behind champions Queens Park Rangers.
They progressed past Wellington Town and Liverpool County Combination amateurs Marine to reach the third round of the FA Cup, which was now being played over two legs. They "put up a grand show" against Bradford (Park Avenue) at Park Avenue, losing 2–1. They then had to settle for a 1–1 draw at home, being denied a penalty and then having a goal ruled out for offside late in the game. A 16-game Third Division (South) North Cup series then began, with the top two teams entering the division's semi-finals. Though they fared poorly, they were fortunate enough to have goalkeeper George Heppell demobilised in time to take the place of an injured Arthur Jepson. Tommy Cheadle made his club debut in a 4–1 home victory over Ipswich Town on 2 March. However, this was only one of two victories in the final ten games as Frith experimented with different line-ups to find a winning combination. They ended the season in eighth place, picking up 14 points from 16 games. Bill Pointon was a consistent goalscorer, hitting 19 goals. The club made a profit of £1,265 on the season, having made a healthy £13,475 in gate receipt money. The City Council agreed to extend the lease on the Old Recreation Ground until June 1950, leaving ample time for Vale Park to be constructed.
Results WinDrawLoss
Third Division (South) North League table
Matches
FA Cup
Third Division (South) North Cup League table
Matches
Squad statistics Appearances and goals Key to positions: GK – Goalkeeper; FB – Full back; HB – Half back; FW – Forward
|colspan="14"|Players who featured but departed the club during the season:
Top scorers PlacePositionNationNameThird Division NorthFA CupNorth CupTotal1FWBill Pointon919192FWAlf Bellis637163FWRalph Gregory52074FWIsaac McDowell33065FWRonnie Allen22046FWTed Shore2013–FWEddie Davies30038FWFrancis Jones20029FWHorace Cumner1001–HBTommy Cheadle0011–HBArthur Cooper0011–FWFred Gardner0011–FWLen Wootton0011–––Own goals1102TOTALS34122167
Transfers
Transfers in Date from Position Nationality Name From Fee Ref. August 1945 FW Francis Jones Free transfer August 1945 FB Reg Potts Stoke City Free transfer August 1945 FW Len Wootton Free transfer September 1945 FW Ted Shore Free transfer December 1945 HB Ted Oldfield Helsby Free transfer January 1946 FW George James Free transfer March 1946 FW Billy Byrne Free transfer March 1946 HB Tommy Cheadle Free transfer
Transfers out Date from Position Nationality Name To Fee Ref. Autumn 1945 FW Murdoch Dickie Guildford City Released 1946 HB Harold Jervis Royal Air Force Released 1946 FW Francis Jones Released January 1946 FW Isaac McDowell Cowdenbeath Released May 1946 FW Edward Nutting Released Summer 1946 FW Billy Buckley Released Summer 1946 FW Jack Clunn Released Summer 1946 FW Arthur Cumberlidge Northwich Victoria Released Summer 1946 FB Roy Felton Crystal Palace Refused terms Summer 1946 FW George James Released Summer 1946 FW Cyril Johnson Released Summer 1946 FB Roger Whittle Released
References Specific
General