Albert Cheesebrough facts for kids

Albert Cheesebrough (born 17 January 1935 – died 2 September 2020) was an English footballer. He played as a forward, meaning he was a player who focused on scoring goals.

Albert had a long career, playing for 16 years in the Football League. He scored 88 goals in 345 league games. He started his professional journey with Burnley in 1951. He stayed there for eight years.

Later, he joined Leicester City in 1959. With Leicester, he played in the FA Cup Final in 1961. After that, he moved to Port Vale in 1963. He even became their top scorer in the 1964–65 season. His last club was Mansfield Town, where he played from 1965 until he had to retire due to an injury. Albert also played one game for the England under-23 team in 1956.

Albert Cheesebrough's Football Journey

Playing for Burnley

Albert Cheesebrough was born in Burnley, Lancashire. He joined his hometown club, Burnley, when he was just 15 years old in 1950. He was already a great player, captaining his school team and playing for county teams.

He officially became a professional player on his 17th birthday in January 1952. Just three months later, he played his first game in the First Division against Manchester United. He scored his first goal against Chelsea in April 1952.

After a new manager, Alan Brown, took over, Albert became a regular player. He played as an inside-forward in the 1955–56 season. He worked well with Brian Pilkington on the left side of the field. That season, he scored six goals in 41 games.

In November 1957, he scored three goals in one game against Leicester City. He ended the 1956–57 season with 12 goals in 45 games. He continued to play well, scoring 14 goals in 42 games in the 1957–58 season. However, a new manager, Harry Potts, preferred a younger player, Jimmy Robson. This meant Albert played less in the 1958–59 season, scoring seven goals in 18 games. In total, Albert played 158 games for Burnley and scored 40 goals.

Time at Leicester City

In June 1959, Albert was sold to Leicester City for £20,000. This was a lot of money back then! At Leicester, he quickly became a key player. He was the club's top scorer in the 1959–60 season, with 17 goals in 45 games.

The next season, 1960–61, he scored 12 goals in 42 games. He was part of the Leicester team that played in the FA Cup final at Wembley. They lost 2–0 to Tottenham Hotspur. Albert remembered that playing with only ten players for most of the game was very tough.

He continued to score goals, getting 11 goals in 26 games in the 1961–62 season. He also played in the European Cup Winners’ Cup against teams like Glenavon and Atlético Madrid. In his final season with Leicester, 1962–63, he scored three goals in 25 games. He was not in the team that played in the 1963 FA Cup final.

Moving to Port Vale

In July 1963, Albert joined Port Vale for £15,000. This was a club record fee at the time. He started strong, scoring three goals in his first game against Brentford on 16 September.

However, in November of that year, he had an operation on his knee. This injury kept him out for the rest of the 1963–64 season. He scored seven goals in 27 games that season.

Albert worked hard to get back to full fitness. In the 1964–65 season, he became Port Vale's top scorer. He scored seven goals in 32 games. This was a low number for a top scorer, showing that the team struggled to score goals that season. Port Vale ended up being relegated from the Third Division.

Last Club: Mansfield Town

In July 1965, Albert moved to Mansfield Town for free. The team was managed by his former teammate, Tommy Cummings. Albert played 24 games in the Third Division during the 1965–66 and 1966–67 seasons. Sadly, a broken leg ended his football career.

Playing for England

Albert also played one game for the England Under-23 team. This match was against France in 1956 at Bristol City's Ashton Gate Stadium.

Life After Football and Family

After he stopped playing football, Albert started his own butcher's shop in Southport. He had learned about the meat business while he was playing for Port Vale.

Albert's daughter, Susan, became a talented gymnast. She represented Great Britain in the 1976 and 1980 Summer Olympics. She was also the British national champion in 1978 and 1979.

Sadly, Albert's grandfather, who was also named Albert Cheesebrough, passed away during World War I.

Albert Cheesebrough passed away in Southport on 2 September 2020, at the age of 85.

Career statistics

Source:

Honours

Leicester City

• FA Cup runner-up: 1961