Paul Cheesley
English footballer (born 1953)
Paul Martyn Cheesley (born 20 October 1953 in Bristol) is an English former professional footballer.
Career
A striker, Cheesley began his career with Norwich City, for whom he made his debut as a substitute on 17 November 1971 against Chelsea in a League Cup tie at Carrow Road. His league debut did not come until 2 December 1972, a game which his side lost 2–0 at home to Manchester United.
Cheesley went on to make 24 appearances for Norwich, scoring one goal on 15 December 1973 in a 1–1 draw against Liverpool at Carrow Road.
Bristol City
In December 1973, as Norwich fought to avoid relegation, Cheesley was sold to Bristol City for a fee of £30,000. Initially, Cheesley struggled at the club [link removed], but during City's promotion season of 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 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 was known to be a fan, and his brave approach, speed and two-footed skill suited England's style.
“Paul Cheesley” enters the record as english footballer (born 1953). Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Paul, Cheesley and English can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Paul Cheesley” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Paul, Cheesley and English provides the most credible route into that argument.
Biographical claims are most persuasive when dates, appointments and relationships can be traced to records created close to the events described. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 27, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q7149803. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1953, 1971, 1972 and 1973.
A concise life account rarely captures disputed attribution, private networks or the changing language used to describe a career. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Read biographical claims against dates, named institutions and the cited references. Distinguish a subject’s later reputation from evidence produced during their lifetime.
- Establishing names and roles
- Building a first chronology
- Locating cited institutions
Personal papers, civil or court records, institutional files and the scholarship cited by the source.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Paul Cheesley”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Paul Cheesley primary sources, Paul Cheesley archive and Paul research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Paul Cheesley”?
- Which claims depend on a single source or contested interpretation?
- How has the subject’s reputation changed across later accounts?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Paul Cheesley” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.