William James Pointon (25 November 1920 – 6 January 2008) was an English footballer who played as a forward for Port Vale, Queens Park Rangers, Brentford, and Leek Town.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | William James Pointon[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 25 November 1920[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Hanley, England[1] | ||
| Date of death | 6 January 2008 (aged 87)[2] | ||
| Place of death | Portsmouth, England[2] | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1941–1949 | Port Vale | 74 | (26) |
| 1949–1950 | Queens Park Rangers | 26 | (6) |
| 1950–1951 | Brentford | 16 | (2) |
| Leek Town | |||
| Total | 116+ | (34+) | |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Career
editPointon joined Port Vale as a wartime player in February 1941.[1] Due to World War II, his debut did not come until 16 September 1944; in the meantime he guested for Portsmouth, Stoke City (5 goals in 10 games) and Brighton & Hove Albion.[1] With 19 strikes in the 1945–46 season he finished as the club's top scorer.[1] He hit 14 goals in 35 appearances for Gordon Hodgson's "Valiants" in 1946–47.[1] He hit 10 goals in 30 games in 1947–48 – his last full season at The Old Recreation Ground.[1] He scored five goals in 15 Third Division South games in 1948–49.[1] After 119 appearances (74 in the Football League) and 53 goals (26 in the Football League), Pointon was sold to Dave Mangnall's Queens Park Rangers for a then-club record five-figure fee in January 1949.[1][3] He scored six goals in 26 Second Division appearances in 1948–49 and 1949–50. Point then left Loftus Road and moved on to league rivals Brentford. He scored two goals in 16 appearances for the "Bees" in 1950–51, helping Jackie Gibbons's side to a ninth-place finish. After leaving Griffin Park, he later turned out for non-League Leek Town.
Post retirement
editIn retirement he took charge of the Portsmouth's "A" side.[4]
Career statistics
editSource:[5]
| Club | Season | Division | League | FA Cup | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Port Vale | 1945–46 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 1 | |
| 1946–47 | Third Division South | 30 | 11 | 5 | 3 | 35 | 14 | |
| 1947–48 | Third Division South | 29 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 30 | 10 | |
| 1948–49 | Third Division South | 15 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 5 | |
| Total | 74 | 26 | 11 | 4 | 85 | 30 | ||
| Queens Park Rangers | 1948–49 | Second Division | 17 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 4 |
| 1949–50 | Second Division | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 2 | |
| Total | 26 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 6 | ||
| Brentford | 1949–50 | Second Division | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 2 |
| 1950–51 | Second Division | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
| Total | 16 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 2 | ||
| Career total | 116 | 34 | 11 | 4 | 127 | 38 | ||
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. p. 233. ISBN 0-9529152-0-0.
- ^ a b "Bill Pointon". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 24 October 2015.
- ^ Fielding, Rob (26 April 2021). "Five of the best - Port Vale strikers of the 1940s". onevalefan.co.uk. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
- ^ Portsmouth FC v Nottingham Forest programme; 23 August 1974
- ^ Bill Pointon at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)