1947–48 Port Vale F.C. season

Overview

Third Division South

The pre-season saw the arrival of outside-right John Currie from Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic. The total number of players at the club was 81, though the vast majority of these amateurs who never played for the first-team. Standing season tickets were reduced to £3 13s, in an attempt to boost support.

The season began with a 1–1 draw with Bristol Rovers in front of 15,714 supporters, followed four days later by a 2–1 win over Norwich City at Carrow Road. Following this the Vale were exceptional at home but poor away, as their unbeaten run at home reached 15 games. Their home form was exemplified by 6–4 and 7–0 wins over Aldershot and Watford respectively, in which Ronnie Allen scored a hat-trick in both games, and Morris Jones score a hat-trick past Aldershot. The defence seeming too weak for a promotion push, Harry Hubbick was signed from Bolton Wanderers in October. However, the team lost Alf Bellis to a foot fracture. ''The Sentinel'''s "Placer" complained of the weakened passing of the post-war generation, in both the Vale side and in footballers in general. In November, Morris Jones was sold to Swindon Town for £2,500, having handed in a transfer request. Gordon Hodgson searched for new attacking talents, leaving his players to relax with games of table tennis, darts, and reading material. Results began to improve, starting with a 4–1 home win over Ipswich Town in which Alan Martin was shifted to inside-left.

On Christmas day, a 5–0 win was recorded over Brighton & Hove Albion, with defender Tommy Cheadle put into the centre-forward role. This marked the start of a seven-match unbeaten run, which took the "Valiants" into fourth place by the end of January. Hodgson's policy of prioritising youth over experience led many older players to submit transfer requests. In January Alf Bellis was traded to Bury in exchange for Walter Keeley and 'a substantial fee'. Vale nevertheless ended the month with consecutive 4–1 home victories over Newport County and Crystal Palace. A 5–0 thrashing at muddy Plainmoor from Torquay United in February was followed by a win over Swindon Town which was disturbed by a dog on the pitch, whilst the week after came a draw in 3 in of snow at Southend United. The club's promotion hopes faded with a defeat by Notts County at the Old Recreation Ground; a crowd of 18,147 turned up to see England star Tommy Lawton scoring the winner.

An impressive 2–1 win over league leaders Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic was marred by spectators throwing stones onto the pitch. Vale then were beaten for only the second time at home by the new league leaders, Queens Park Rangers on 26 March, as they displayed "costly blunders in defence" and "a disconcerting naivety in attack". The following day, they recorded their last win of the season by beating Bristol City by a goal to nil. They failed to win in their last seven games, which cost them a third-place finish and the subsequent £165 in talent money. In preparation for next season, Joe Dale was signed from Manchester United for £1,000. The last game of the season attracted 5,602 spectators – the lowest total of the season – ironically, this was against Exeter City, their opponents in the highest attended home game of the previous campaign. This low attendance was partly blamed on the FA Cup final, which was broadcast simultaneously.

They finished in eighth place with 43 points, barely improving on the previous season. Ronnie Allen was the top-scorer with just 13 goals. Scoring was very much a team effort.

Finances

On the financial side, a loss of £1,292 was reported – mainly due to a transfer debit. Gate receipts had increased to £26,666 and the wage bill had risen drastically to £13,647. Cash was needed for the ongoing construction of 'The Wembley of the North', and so schemes such as the '100 Club' were introduced, offering supporters a seat for life at the stadium for £100. Meanwhile, Norman Hallam departed in the summer and left the area to become a Methodist Minister in Carlisle.

FA Cup

In the FA Cup, Vale fell at the first hurdle, losing 2–1 to Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park in a below-par performance. Unlike in the previous FA Cup campaign, the retreat to the old Royal Brine Baths in Stafford had failed to inspire the players.

Results

Football League Third Division South

Main article: 1947–48 Football League

League table

Results by matchday

Matches

FA Cup

Main article: 1947–48 FA Cup

Player statistics

Appearances and goals

:Key to positions: GK – Goalkeeper; FB – Full back; HB – Half back; FW – Forward

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Top scorers

Transfers

Transfers in

Transfers out

References

;Specific

;General

References

1. Kent, Jeff. (1990). "The Valiants' Years: The Story Of Port Vale". Witan Books.
2. [http://www.statto.com/football/teams/port-vale/1947-1948/results Port Vale 1947–1948 : Results & Fixtures] {{Webarchive. link. (16 September 2015 . Statto Organisation. Retrieved 28 April 2012.)
3. Kent, Jeff. (1996). "Port Vale Personalities". Witan Books.