Trevor Cherry facts for kids

Trevor John Cherry (born February 23, 1948 – died April 29, 2020) was a famous English footballer. He was a strong defender who notably captained both the England national team and Leeds United. Cherry also played for Huddersfield Town and Bradford City. Later, he became a manager for Bradford City.

Born in Huddersfield, Trevor started his football journey with his hometown club. He became well-known at Leeds United in the 1970s. During his time there, he played 486 games and helped the team win the Championship title in the 1973–74 season. He played for England 27 times and even captained the national team once.

Playing Career

Starting at Huddersfield Town

Trevor Cherry was born in Huddersfield on February 23, 1948. He joined his local club, Huddersfield Town, when he was just 15 years old in July 1963. He started as part of the ground staff, then signed a professional contract in 1965.

He made his first team debut in 1965 at age 17. Trevor quickly became known as a skilled defender. He could play anywhere across the back of the field. He helped Huddersfield win the Second Division title in the 1969–70 season.

After two seasons in the top league, Huddersfield was moved down to a lower division. In 1972, Trevor left the club. He had played 188 games for Huddersfield Town. The manager of local rivals Leeds United, Don Revie, was very impressed with him. Revie saw Trevor as a possible replacement for the legendary player Jack Charlton.

Life at Leeds United

In 1972, Trevor Cherry moved to Leeds United. Leeds paid £100,000 to Huddersfield for him. In his first season, he played alongside and sometimes instead of Jack Charlton. He mostly played as a left-back, filling in for Terry Cooper who had a broken leg.

By the end of that season, Trevor had played 38 league games. He was chosen to play in the 1973 FA Cup final, but Leeds lost to Sunderland.

However, he did win the League championship with Leeds in the 1973–74 season. The team had an amazing start, going 29 matches unbeaten. Trevor played 38 times that season, mostly at left-back.

The next season, 1974–75, was a bit mixed for Trevor. He missed half the season due to injury. But he recovered in time to help Leeds in their European Cup journey. They reached the semi-finals and played against Barcelona. Trevor did a great job marking the famous Dutch player Johan Cruyff in both games. Leeds made it to the final.

However, Trevor missed some league games because of a suspension. Because of this, the manager, Jimmy Armfield, put him on the substitute bench for the final against Bayern Munich, and he did not play.

In 1976, Trevor became the captain of Leeds after Billy Bremner left. He also earned his first cap for the England team that year. He continued to play for Leeds until 1982. That year, the club was moved down to the Second Division. In 1981, he won the club's Player of The Season award. In 2000, Leeds fans voted Trevor the 30th best player in the club's history.

Bradford City and Becoming a Manager

Trevor played three months of Second Division football for Leeds. Then, he moved to another nearby club, Bradford City. There, he became a player-manager, meaning he played for the team and also managed it.

He played for three years before retiring from playing to focus completely on managing. His very last game as a player was on May 6, 1985. Bradford City won 2–0 against Bolton Wanderers, which helped them win the Division Three title. Trevor also won the Division Three manager of the season award.

However, a terrible event happened shortly after. On May 11, 1985, during the final game of the season, the Valley Parade stadium was hit by a fire. This event, known as the Bradford City stadium fire, was a tragedy. Trevor was among those who attended many funerals for those affected. A special appeal was set up to raise money for the families and injured supporters, collecting over four million pounds.

Despite the challenges, Trevor guided Bradford to 13th place the next season. The club had to play their home games at three different stadiums during this time. Trevor was the manager when City returned to Valley Parade in December 1986. However, he was surprisingly fired the next month when the club was struggling. This decision caused angry protests from fans.

International Matches

Trevor Cherry earned his first cap for the English team on March 24, 1976, in a game against Wales. He made history by becoming the first England player to be sent off in an international friendly match. This happened against Argentina in 1977. Trevor lost two teeth after being punched by Daniel Bertoni, who was also sent off.

England did not qualify for the 1978 World Cup. However, they did qualify for the 1980 European Championships. Trevor was included in the squad of 22 players who traveled for the tournament. In a warm-up game just before the tournament, Trevor captained his country for the only time. England won 2–1 against Australia in Sydney.

His time in the tournament was limited to just one substitute appearance against Spain. This was his 27th and final cap for England.

After Football

After he was fired by Bradford City, Trevor Cherry stepped away from football for several years. He ran a company in Huddersfield that organized promotions and events. He also managed a waste paper company and a five-a-side football center.

In 2004, he tried to buy a share in Leeds United. In November 2005, he was given an honorary degree by the University of Huddersfield.

Trevor Cherry passed away suddenly on April 29, 2020, at the age of 72. He was survived by his wife, Sue, their two sons, one daughter, and five grandchildren.