On 27 June 1951, following Chesterfield's relegation from the 1950–51 Second Division, First Division side Portsmouth signed Dale for £20,000, becoming Portsmouth's record transfer fee at the time, as well as Chesterfield's record outgoing transfer. Dale only made eight appearances during his first season with Portsmouth, due to injuries. In the 1954–55 season, Dale appeared in more than half of Portsmouth's fixtures for the first time in his career with the club.
