Bill Pointon

Billy Pointon
Personal information
Full name	William James Pointon
Date of birth	25 November 1920
Place of birth	Hanley, England
Date of death	6 January 2008 (aged 87)
Place of death	Portsmouth, England
Position(s)	Forward
Senior career*
Years	Team
1941–1949	Port Vale
1949–1950	Queens Park Rangers
1950–1951	Brentford
	Leek Town
Total
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals

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.

Career

Pointon 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.

In retirement he took charge of the Portsmouth's "A" side.^[4]

Source:^[5]

Club	Season	Division	League		FA Cup		Total
Club	Season	Division	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

^ ^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)