1948–49 Port Vale F.C. season

Port Vale

1948–49 season
Chairman	William Holdcroft
Manager	Gordon Hodgson
Stadium	The Old Recreation Ground
Football League Third Division South	13th (39 Points)
FA Cup	First Round (knocked out by Notts County)
Top goalscorer	League: Walter Aveyard (13) All: Walter Aveyard (13)
Highest home attendance	18,497 vs. Aldershot, 28 August 1948
Lowest home attendance	7,738 vs. Millwall, 18 December 1948
Average home league attendance	12,069
Biggest win	3–0 (three games)
Biggest defeat	1–4 (twice)
Home colours
← 1947–48 1949–50 →

The 1948–49 season was Port Vale's 37th season of football in the English Football League, and their fourth full season in the Third Division South.^[1] A promotion campaign soon tailed off into an unremarkable mid-table finish, as bad form persuaded the club to sell off Bill Pointon for a then-club record fee.

Overview

Third Division South

The pre-season saw the club attempt to sign Huddersfield Town's star forward Peter Doherty, when this failed Gordon Hodgson instead signed Liverpool left-wing duo Stan Palk and Mick Hulligan for £10,000.^[1] Striker Walter Aveyard was also signed from Birmingham City, despite his belief that a leg injury had finished him.^[1] Fans were convinced promotion to the Second Division was possible, and so there was a surge in season ticket sales.^[1]

The season started with seven points from the opening four games, leaving the club top of the table.^[1] The season-high 18,497 fans that turned up for a 3–0 win over Aldershot were impressed by the skill of the three new signings.^[1] The club's good form continued to the end of September, despite the sale of Walter Keeley to Accrington Stanley for £1,500 – who had found himself relegated to the sidelines by Hulligan's good performances.^[1] After this Hulligan broke his ankle, whilst other injuries also hit the squad.^[1] Six weeks of six defeats in seven games followed, leaving Vale sixth from bottom.^[1] During this spell Joe Dale was offloaded to Witton Albion, as Hodgson attempted to fill the gaps in the first-team with young reserves.^[1] Winning three games on the trot, the Vale put an end to this bad spell, also keeping three clean sheets.

Over the Christmas period talk was dominated by 'The Wembley of the North', which had been projected as an 80,000 capacity stadium, now it was planned as a 40,000 capacity ground with room for future expansion.^[1] Finding just fifty members for the '100 club', the financing was helped by a £8,000 grant from The Football Association.^[1] In January the club initiated a fire-sale of players: Bill Pointon went to Queens Park Rangers for a then-club record five-figure fee, whilst Harry Hubbick was sold to Rochdale for around £1,000.^[1] Meanwhile, the club transfer listed Palk, Aveyard, and Eric Eastwood (who all lived outside North Staffordshire); whilst Hulligan returned from injury.^[1] A two-month run without a win followed, in which Hodgson again experimented with the first XI.^[1] This run finally ended with a 1–0 win over Notts County on 9 April.^[1] Nine days later at Ashton Gate, keeper Harry Prince was given a chance in place of regular George Heppell, who embarrassed himself by attempting to punch a 40 yards (37 m) punt from Stone, only to miss the ball entirely and thereby concede the equaliser.^[1] Later in the month, Hodgson signed George King from Hull City for a four-figure fee.^[1] King scored twice in his debut against Torquay United.^[1]

They finished a disappointing thirteenth, boasting just 39 points.^[1] They had scored twelve fewer goals than the previous campaign, though their defensive record was identical.^[1] Harry Prince's move to Stafford Rangers was the only significant departure of the summer.^[1]

Finances

On the financial side, a large transfer credit helped the club record a gross profit of £7,120.^[1] Gate receipts had declined to £25,831, whilst wages had risen to £16,095.^[1] The Burslem Supporters Club put forward a donation of £600, and the club issued 22,000 new five shilling shares to help with the New Ground Fund.^[1]

Cup competitions

In the FA Cup, Vale were knocked out in the First Round by Notts County at Meadow Lane in front of 36,514 spectators.^[1]

League table

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GAv	Pts
11	Notts County	42	19	5	18	102	68	1.500	43
12	Exeter City	42	15	10	17	63	76	0.829	40
13	Port Vale	42	14	11	17	51	54	0.944	39
14	Walsall	42	15	8	19	56	64	0.875	38
15	Newport County	42	14	9	19	68	92	0.739	37

Results

Port Vale's score comes first

Football League Third Division South

Results by matchday

Matches

Date	Opponent	Venue	Result	Attendance	Scorers
21 August 1948	Millwall	A	1–1	32,122	Aveyard
23 August 1948	Reading	H	3–0	17,394	Aveyard (2), Hulligan
28 August 1948	Aldershot	H	3–0	18,497	Hulligan (2), Dale
1 September 1948	Reading	A	2–1	13,955	Palk, Martin
4 September 1948	Brighton & Hove Albion	A	0–1	20,383
6 September 1948	Swindon Town	H	2–0	17,581	Palk, Pointon
11 September 1948	Southend United	H	0–2	16,592
15 September 1948	Swindon Town	A	2–0	16,894	Allen, Aveyard
18 September 1948	Northampton Town	A	2–2	9,964	Allen, Aveyard
25 September 1948	Norwich City	H	0–0	15,361
2 October 1948	Exeter City	A	1–2	10,672	Martin
9 October 1948	Swansea Town	H	0–2	17,888
16 October 1948	Newport County	A	2–2	10,037	Aveyard (2)
23 October 1948	Ipswich Town	H	1–2	11,424	Aveyard
30 October 1948	Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic	A	0–2	18,436
6 November 1948	Walsall	H	0–2	11,559
13 November 1948	Notts County	A	1–2	29,332	Aveyard
20 November 1948	Bristol Rovers	H	2–0	10,342	Cheadle, Palk
18 December 1948	Millwall	H	1–0	7,738	Pointon
25 December 1948	Leyton Orient	H	3–0	9,480	Allen, Pointon, Hubbick
27 December 1948	Leyton Orient	A	0–2	8,953
1 January 1949	Aldershot	A	1–0	4,510	Pointon
8 January 1949	Watford	H	3–1	8,681	Aveyard (2), Allen
15 January 1949	Brighton & Hove Albion	H	3–4	9,562	Martin, Pointon, Aveyard
22 January 1949	Southend United	A	0–0	9,713
5 February 1949	Northampton Town	H	1–0	9,369	Allen
12 February 1949	Crystal Palace	A	1–1	12,409	Cheadle
19 February 1949	Norwich City	A	0–2	26,323
26 February 1949	Exeter City	H	1–1	8,437	o.g.
5 March 1949	Swansea Town	A	1–3	13,769	Allen
12 March 1949	Newport County	H	1–2	9,487	Hulligan
19 March 1949	Ipswich Town	A	1–4	10,722	Allen
26 March 1949	Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic	H	0–2	8,560
30 March 1949	Torquay United	A	0–0	6,483
2 April 1949	Walsall	A	1–1	9,767	Martin
9 April 1949	Notts County	H	1–0	12,198	Martin
15 April 1949	Bristol City	H	4–2	13,571	Allen (2), Martin, Hulligan
16 April 1949	Bristol Rovers	A	1–4	15,477	Aveyard
18 April 1949	Bristol City	A	1–1	11,094	Palk
23 April 1949	Torquay United	H	3–1	11,914	King (2), McGarry
30 April 1949	Watford	A	1–2	6,316	Allen
7 May 1949	Crystal Palace	H	0–0	7,821

FA Cup

Round	Date	Opponent	Venue	Result	Attendance	Goalscorers
R1	27 November 1948	Notts County	A	1–2	36,514	Martin

Player statistics

Appearances

Pos.	Name	Football League		FA Cup		Total
		Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
GK	George Heppell	37	0	1	0	38	0
GK	Ray Hancock	3	0	0	0	3	0
GK	Harry Prince	2	0	0	0	2	0
DF	Basil Hayward	41	0	1	0	42	0
DF	Tommy Cheadle	22	2	1	0	23	2
DF	Garth Butler	33	0	1	0	34	0
DF	Harry Hubbick	20	1	1	0	21	1
DF	Reg Potts	19	0	0	0	19	0
DF	Jim Elsby	1	0	0	0	1	0
MF	Wilf Smith	1	0	0	0	1	0
MF	Jimmy Todd	11	0	0	0	11	0
MF	Alan Martin	42	6	1	1	43	7
MF	Bill McGarry	40	1	1	0	41	1
MF	Eric Eastwood	4	0	0	0	4	0
MF	Walter Keeley	2	0	0	0	2	0
MF	Joe Dale	6	1	0	0	6	1
MF	Mick Hulligan	28	5	0	0	28	5
MF	Alan Bennett	1	0	0	0	1	0
MF	Bernard Jones	6	0	1	0	7	0
FW	Bill Pointon	15	5	0	0	15	5
FW	Ronnie Allen	40	10	1	0	41	10
FW	Lewis White	1	0	0	0	1	0
FW	Pat Raftery	2	0	0	0	2	0
FW	John Sherratt	2	0	0	0	2	0
FW	George King	2	2	0	0	2	2
FW	George O'Neill	5	0	0	0	5	0
FW	Stan Palk	42	4	1	0	43	4
FW	Walter Aveyard	34	13	1	0	35	13

Top scorers

Place	Position	Nation	Name	Third Division South	FA Cup	Total
1	FW	England	Walter Aveyard	13	0	13
2	FW	England	Ronnie Allen	10	0	10
3	MF	England	Alan Martin	6	1	7
4	FW	England	Bill Pointon	5	0	5
–	MF	England	Mick Hulligan	5	0	5
6	FW	England	Stan Palk	4	0	4
7	FW	England	George King	2	0	2
–	DF	England	Tommy Cheadle	2	0	2
9	FW	England	Harry Hubbick	1	0	1
–	MF	England	Bill McGarry	1	0	1
–	MF	England	Joe Dale	1	0	1
–	–	–	Own goals	1	0	1
			TOTALS	51	1	52

Transfers

Transfers in

Date from	Position	Nationality	Name	From	Fee	Ref.
May 1948	GK		Ray Hancock	Bury	Free transfer	[3]
June 1948	FW		Walter Aveyard	Birmingham City	Free transfer	[3]
July 1948	MF		Mick Hulligan	Liverpool	£10,000	[3]
July 1948	FW		Stan Palk	Liverpool	£10,000	[3]
October 1948	MF		Bernard Jones	Longport	Free transfer	[3]
November 1948	FW		George O'Neill	Ellesmere Port Town	Free transfer	[3]
November 1948	FW		Pat Raftery	Ravensdale	Free transfer	[3]
April 1949	FW		George King	Hull City	'four-figure fee'	[3]

Transfers out

Date from	Position	Nationality	Name	To	Fee	Ref.
September 1948	MF		Walter Keeley	Accrington Stanley	£1,500	[3]
October 1948	MF		Joe Dale	Witton Albion	'Cheshire League record fee'	[3]
January 1949	DF		Harry Hubbick	Rochdale	£1,000	[3]
January 1949	FW		Bill Pointon	Queens Park Rangers	'club record five-figure fee'	[3]
May 1949	GK		Harry Prince	Stafford Rangers	Released	[3]
July 1949	DF		Bob Pursell	Winsford United	Free transfer	[3]
July 1949	FW		Lewis White	Winsford United	Free transfer	[3]
Summer 1949	FW		George O'Neill		Released	[3]
Summer 1949	FW		John Sherratt		Released	[3]

References

Specific

General

• Kent, Jeff (1993). The Port Vale Record 1879-1993. Witan Books. ISBN 0-9508981-9-8.