League football was resumed after the war when the fans were still able to see the damage caused by a German V1 flying bomb which had landed on the pitch in August 1944, destroying a large part of the South Bank terracing and that end of the main stand. The Hammers celebrated the return of the Football League with a 3–2 win against Fulham in their first home game. Only four players – Bicknell, Medhurst, Walker and Macaulay – had played in the last peacetime game back in 1939.

Following the Fulham victory there were three defeats but all was well when local rivals Millwall were beaten 3–1 at the Boleyn before an attendance of 30,571. The team were inconsistent: a good 3–2 win at West Bromwich Albion was followed by a 4–0 home defeat to Birmingham City. Centre-forward Joe Payne was signed from Chelsea and did well in scoring in five successive games, including a goal in the 4–1 defeat of Plymouth Argyle. That game marked the debut of goalkeeper Ernie Gregory, who went on to play in 406 games for the club.

There was an early exit from the FA Cup as Leicester City won 2–1 at the Boleyn Ground. Joe Payne was suffering from injuries and to replace him Frank Neary came from Millwall. He was an instant success, scoring seven goals in his first three games, which included a hat-trick against West Bromwich Albion. In April there was another burst of scoring from Neary as he scored twice in three successive games, culminating in a 4–0 home win over Southampton. The season ended with a 3–2 win at Newcastle and on the final day a 5–0 home defeat to Burnley. The inconsistent form saw the Hammers finish in twelfth spot in Division Two.