He made his Port Vale debut in a 3–1 home win against Southampton on 27 September. He later appeared for the "Valiants" in the FA Cup Fourth Round clash with Arsenal, which ended in a 1–0 defeat at Highbury, following a 2–2 draw at The Old Recreation Ground. The "Gunners" went on to the final, only to be beaten by Cardiff City. Whitcombe finished the 1926–27 campaign with 24 appearances to his name. He played fourteen games in 1927–28, and appeared twelve times in 1928–29, as the club were relegated into the Third Division North. Following the death of manager Joe Schofield, Vale won promotion as the division's champions under Tom Morgan in 1929–30; however Whitcombe made just the one appearance throughout the season. Despite only playing a further three games in 1930–31, he was sold to Notts County for a 'substantial amount' in December 1930, having played a total of 55 matches for the club (51 in the league).