1944–45 Port Vale F.C. season explained

Club:Port Vale
Season:1944–45
Manager:Jack Diffin
(October – December)
David Pratt
(December onwards)
Chairman:Tom Flint
Stadium:Old Recreation Ground
League:North First Championship
League Result:46th (12 points)
Cup1 Result:54th (12 points)
Cup2:League North Cup
Cup2 Result:48th (7 points)
Cup3:Midland Cup
Cup3 Result:Did not qualify
League Topscorer:Alf Bellis, Eric Prince (5 each)
Season Topscorer:Alf Bellis (10)
Highest Attendance:17,040 vs. Stoke City, 24 February 1945
Lowest Attendance:2,195 vs. Walsall, 23 December 1944
Average Attendance:5,969
Largest Loss:1–8 vs. Stoke City, 17 February 1945
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Nextseason:1945–46

The 1944–45 season was Port Vale's second season of football in the wartime league system of World War II.[1] First-team football was reinstated at the Old Recreation Ground for the first time since the 1939–40 season, however, success was limited as they finished in the lower reaches of the North Championship and the League North Cup.

Overview

Port Vale resumed first-team football for the first time since the 1939–40 season, entering the North Championship of the war league, which contained 54 teams but required only 18 games to be played by each club.[1] The junior team had been active since then, and the club hoped they could perform at a senior level, supplemented by guest players.[1] A good crowd of 8,768 turned up at the Old Recreation Ground for the season-opener to Birmingham, and a 3–0 victory offered hope of a successful season.[1] However, they lost the reverse fixture 4–0 and went on to pick up only one more point by the end of September.[1] Their home performances were generally competent, but they ended the league with only one point on the road. Vale ended the league programme in 46th place, having accrued just 12 points from their 18 games.[1]

A ten-game series for qualification to the League North Cup began in December. The club appointed David Pratt to manage the players, succeeding director Jack Diffin, though Pratt failed to gain clearance from the Royal Air Force and so never actually took charge of a game.[1] Vale managed to win 3–2 away at Chester on 6 January but lost six games of the series, including heavy 8–1 and 6–2 defeats to Potteries derby rivals Stoke City.[1] A seven games series of the North Championship followed, which attracted little interest as crowds dwindled. Though Vale managed to beat Stockport County 5–0, they lost five of their seven games, including two further poor defeats at the hands of Stoke City.[1] The season concluded with four games of Midland Cup competition, of which Vale lost three. The opening game of the competition did, though, see a 3–2 win over Walsall; the Vale line-up included a 16-year-old Ronnie Allen and renowned Ireland international Peter Doherty.[1] The club made a profit of £1,262 on the season, thanks to gate receipts of £11,200.[1]

Results

Port Vale's score comes first

Legend

WinDrawLoss

North First Championship

Matches

!Date!!Opponent!!Venue!!Result!!Attendance!!Scorers
26 August 1944BirminghamH3–08,768Kirkaldy (2), Bellis
2 September 1944BirminghamA0–45,970
9 September 1944West Bromwich AlbionA1–27,760E.Prince
16 September 1944West Bromwich AlbionH0–08,134
23 September 1944NorthamptonA1–33,125E.Prince
30 September 1944NorthamptonH1–26,549B.Pointon
7 October 1944Coventry CityH2–06,600Musgrave, E.Prince
14 October 1944Coventry CityA3–45,000Pepper (2), E.Prince
21 October 1944Leicester CityA1–45,770E.Prince
28 October 1944Leicester CityH2–14,070Bellis, McDowell
4 November 1944Aston VillaH2–19,700Bellis, Pointon
11 November 1944Aston VillaA0–48,500
18 November 1944Stoke CityA0–218,000
25 November 1944Stoke CityH3–09,618McDowell, Bellis, P.Griffiths
2 December 1944Wolverhampton WanderersH0–37,500
9 December 1944Wolverhampton WanderersA0–28,493
16 December 1944WalsallA2–22,000Clunn, Bellis
23 December 1944WalsallH1–22,195McDowell

League North Cup

Matches

!Date!!Opponent!!Venue!!Result!!Attendance!!Scorers
25 December 1944Crewe AlexandraH1–35,500Ware
30 December 1944Crewe AlexandraA1–25,000McDowell
6 January 1945ChesterA3–22,790Bellis (2), E.Prince
13 January 1945ChesterH0–25,468
30 January 1945WrexhamA0–52,165
3 February 1945Wolverhampton WanderersH2–04,626McDowell, Booth
10 February 1945Wolverhampton WanderersA2–18,548Booth, Bellis
17 February 1945Stoke CityA1–812,644Cardwell
24 February 1945Stoke CityH2–617,040McShane, B.Pointon
17 March 1945WrexhamH1–13,089Bellis

North Second Championship

!Date!!Opponent!!Venue!!Result!!Attendance!!Scorers
26 December 1944WrexhamA0–47,668
3 March 1945Stockport CountyH5–03,200McShane (2), B.Pointon (2), Hall
10 March 1945Stockport CountyA0–32,000
2 April 1945WrexhamH2–26,079P.Griffiths (2)
28 April 1945Tranmere RoversH0–1small
5 May 1945Stoke CityA0–61,000
9 May 1945Stoke CityH2–45,550Isherwood, H.Griffiths

Midland Cup

Matches

!Round!!Date!!Opponent!!Venue!!Result!!Attendance!!Goalscorers
Q24 March 1945WalsallH3–25,870Clunn (2), Bellis
Q31 March 1945WalsallA0–21,592
Q7 April 1945Notts CountyH1–45,790F.Pointon
Q14 April 1945Notts CountyA1–23,000Gregory

Player statistics

Appearances

Pos.NameNorth ChampionshipLeague North CupMidland CupTotal
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
GK Arthur Jepson00001010
GK Albert Hankey10300040
GK Ron Mawson10000010
GK Harry Prince2307030330
DF Harry Griffiths2215020291
DF Edwin Blunt60000060
DF Jack Griffiths801010100
DF Bob Pursell80001090
DF Jess Sproson2209010320
DF Arthur Bateman308020130
DF Harry Betmead60000060
DF Louis Cardwell10611081
DF Stephen Hughes10000010
DF Jock Lowe10001020
DF John Mills00100010
DF Cyril Johnson10000010
MF Wilf Smith604000100
MF Alf Bellis13584412510
MF George Hannah00300030
MF Murdoch Dickie20000020
MF Phil Griffiths21221053
MF James Tunnicliffe10100020
MF Bob Allen20001030
MF Arthur Bailey20000020
MF Kenneth Banks10100020
MF William Birks20100030
MF Jackie Bray10000010
MF Billy Buckley30100040
MF Jack Clunn715032153
MF Arthur Cooper1706030270
MF Bertie Duffy00002020
MF Harold Jervis10000010
MF Jack Kirkaldy52000052
MF Frank Marsh10100020
MF Alan Martin30000030
MF John Maund10000010
MF Harry McShane12210033
MF Roy Meredith20000020
MF David Muir30000030
MF Jonty Musgrave41000041
MF Robert Pepper12000012
MF Frank Pointon604041141
MF Sid Prince10000010
MF Joe Wheatley30000030
FW John Sanderson10000010
FW George Morrey20000020
FW Harry Ware10110021
FW Cecil Booth00420042
FW Peter Doherty00002020
FW Micky Fenton00001010
FW Jack Gallon00001010
FW Ralph Gregory00001111
FW Albert Hall11000011
FW Leonard Howell10000010
FW Dennis Isherwood11000011
FW Harry Lane1009020210
FW Richard Maudsley30000030
FW Isaac McDowell1139220225
FW Bill McKay10000010
FW James Mee10000010
FW Roy Meiklem10000010
FW George Morrey20000020
FW George Moses00001010
FW Edward Nutting10200030
FW Bill Pointon63111084
FW Eric Prince1357110216
FW Richard Roberts20000020
FW John Roden40002060
FW Dennis Spender10000010
FW Dennis Wilshaw10000010
FW Bert Wright1400000140
FW Dick Yates00100010

Top scorers

width=60Placewidth=60Positionwidth=180Nationwidth=150Namewidth=80North First Championshipwidth=80League North Cupwidth=80North Second Championshipwidth=80Midland Cupwidth=80Total
1MFAlf Bellis540110
2FWEric Prince51006
3FWIsaac McDowell32005
4FWBill Pointon21204
5MFHarry McShane01203
–MFPhil Griffiths10203
–MFJack Clunn10023
8MFJack Kirkaldy20002
–MFRobert Pepper20002
–FWCecil Booth02002
11MFFrank Pointon00011
–DFHarry Griffiths00101
–DFLouis Cardwell01001
–MFJonty Musgrave10001
–FWHarry Ware01001
–FWRalph Gregory00011
–FWAlbert Hall00101
–FWDennis Isherwood00101
TOTALS22139549

Transfers

Transfers in

Date fromPositionNationalityNameFromFeeRef.
July 1944 MF Kenneth Banks Free transfer [2]
August 1944 MF William Birks Free transfer
August 1944 FW Ralph Gregory Free transfer
August 1944 MF Harold Jervis Free transfer
August 1944 FW James Mee Free transfer
August 1944 MF Frank Pointon Endon Free transfer
August 1944 GK Free transfer
September 1944 MF Jonty Musgrave Free transfer
September 1944 MF Robert Pepper Stafford Boys' Club Free transfer
September 1944 FW Ipstones Free transfer
October 1944 MF Port Vale Free transfer
October 1944 MF Free transfer
October 1944 MF Roy Meredith Free transfer
December 1944 FW Jack Clunn Michelin Free transfer
December 1944 MF Sid Prince Michelin Free transfer
December 1944 FW Dennis Spender Radway Free transfer
February 1945 FW Cecil Booth Free transfer
March 1945 FW Leonard Howell Free transfer
March 1945 FW John Roden Free transfer

Transfers out

Date fromPositionNationalityNameToFeeRef.
1945 MF Kenneth Banks Released
1945 MF Roy Meredith Released
1945 MF Jonty Musgrave Released
1945 FW Dennis Spender Released
1945 MF James Tunnicliffe Released
Summer 1945 DF Released
Summer 1945 FW Leonard Howell Released
Summer 1945 MF Sid Prince Ipstones Free transfer

References

Specific
General

Notes and References

  1. Book: Kent, Jeff. The Valiants' Years: The Story Of Port Vale. Witan Books. 1990. 151–171. Creating Sunshine from the Shadows (1939–1950). 0-9508981-4-7.
  2. Book: Kent, Jeff. Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. 1996. 0-9529152-0-0.

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