Love, "a hard inside forward with a strong shot", won a Distinguished Flying Cross after being wounded by shrapnel whilst serving in the Royal Air Force in 1944.
[2] The club missed out on a second successive promotion in 1951–52 by just two points, after which Love moved on to Welsh side Llanelli, where he was appointed player-manager.
Love joined Walsall in March 1955, as the club floundered at the foot of the Third Division South table; he scored twice in sixteen games.
[2] Having successfully applied for re-election, Walsall chose Love to replace the legendary Frank Buckley in September 1955.
The "Red Dragons" finished twelfth, and lifted the Welsh Cup after victory over Chester City in a replay at the Racecourse Ground.