Paul Martyn Cheesley (born 20 October 1953 in

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

) is an English former professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

Career

A striker, Cheesley began his career with

Norwich City Norwich City Football Club is a professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk, England. The club competes in the Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was founded in 1902. Since 1935, Norwich have played their h ...

, for whom he made his debut as a substitute on 17 November 1971 against Chelsea in a League Cup tie at

Carrow Road Carrow Road is a association football, football stadium in Norwich, Norfolk, England, and is the home of EFL Championship club Norwich City F.C., Norwich City. The stadium is east of the city, near Norwich railway station and the River Wensum. ...

. His league debut did not come until 2 December 1972, a game which his side lost 2-0 at home to

Manchester United Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...

. Cheesley went on to make 24 appearances for Norwich, scoring one goal on 15 December 1973 in a 1-1 draw against

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

at Carrow Road.

Bristol City

In December 1973, as Norwich fought to avoid relegation, Cheesley was sold to

Bristol City Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England. The team compete in the , the second level of the English football league system. Founded in 1894, the club competed in the Southern League and Western L ...

for a fee of £30,000. Initially, Cheesley struggled at the clu

but during City's promotion season of 1975-76 in English football, 1975–76 he formed a formidable strike partnership with Tom Ritchie which saw them score a combined total of 33 goals, with Cheesley scoring 15. The opening fixture of the season back in the First Division was away to

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

at Highbury. City won 1–0 with Cheesley scoring the only goal. Cheesley had already been selected to play for England Under 23s to play Hungary, but as the game coincided with a crucial promotion clash against rivals Sunderland, he had turned down the opportunity. Despite that, England boss

Don Revie Donald George Revie (10 July 1927 – 26 May 1989) was an English footballer and manager. He is best known for managing Leeds United from 1961 until 1974, winning the Football League First Division twice and the FA Cup once, before being the Eng ...

was known to be a fan, and his brave approach, speed and two-footed skill suited England's style. With Cheesley turning in another eye-catching performance at the highest level, many believed it was only a matter of time before he received a full international call-u

Injury

Just three days after the victory at Arsenal, City were playing again, at home to Stoke City F.C., Stoke City. A cross came into the box and Cheesley rose to challenge Stoke goalkeeper

Peter Shilton Peter Leslie Shilton (born 18 September 1949) is an English former professional association football, footballer who played as a goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper. His 31-year career included spells at 11 clubs and he has the uni ...

for the ball, getting there first and heading over. Cheesley landed awkwardly, ripping his cartilage, tearing ligaments and chipping a bone in his knee. Despite an attempted comeback in a home match against Birmingham City later that season he was forced to retire from League football. He went on to have spells with non-league clubs, including

Yeovil Town Yeovil Town may refer to: * Yeovil, a town in Somerset, England, with a council named Yeovil Town * Yeovil Town F.C., an English football team based in Yeovil, Somerset * Yeovil Town W.F.C., an English women's football team affiliated with Yeovil T ...

. Following his retirement he became the landlord of The Knowle Hotel in Bristol.

References

*''Canary Citizens'' by Mike Davage, John Eastwood, Kevin Platt, published by Jarrold Publishing, (2001), {{DEFAULTSORT:Cheesley, Paul 1953 births Norwich City F.C. players Bristol City F.C. players Yeovil Town F.C. players Footballers from Bristol Living people Men's association football forwards English men's footballers English Football League players