The 1951–52 season was Port Vale's 40th season of football in the Football League, and their seventh full season in the Third Division South. Manager Ivor Powell did not last long, and was replaced by Freddie Steele in December. Steele would later prove to be one of the club's greatest and longest serving managers. He started early, taking a club bottom of the league at Christmas to a thirteenth-place finish. He achieved this without making any major signings, rather he managed the players he had in a better way than Powell.