Trevor CHERRY

17/11/76 v Italy (A) L 2-0 (WCQ)

29/11/78 v Czech (H) W 1-0 (F)

10/06/79 v Sweden (A) D 0-0 (F)

It looked for a long time that despite being in the last great Leeds United team of the 1970s (he is pictured above playing for the Yorkshire club in February '77), one which won the League title at a canter and reached the European Cup final, that full back Trevor Cherry would not win any international recognition. The tough-tackling defender, capable of stirring runs down the flanks and devastating tackling, was simply not fancied by either Alf Ramsey or Joe Mercer though his regular switch from one flank to the other in a Leeds shirt didn't help his cause. When Revie became England boss, hopes were duly raised for Cherry but it took almost two years before, at the comparatively late age of 28, he received his first cap in a 2-1 friendly win over Wales in Wrexham, and even then he was substituted by fellow debutant Dave Clement. Cherry later came on as a substitute as England succumbed 2-1 to the Scots at Hampden in the Home Internationals and was picked by Revie as part of an experimental squad which took part in the USA Bi-Centennial competition in the summer. Trevor only played in the first game, as one of three centre backs in a defeat against Brazil in Los Angeles.

However, when the real business of qualification for the 1978 World Cup got underway, he was in the team, again as one of three centre backs in a surprisingly cautious formation against the unfancied Finns in Helsinki, though England still cantered to a 4-1 victory. Cherry won a fifth cap in an autumn friendly against the Republic of Ireland but was dropped by Revie for the return game with Finland, against whom England struggled to a 2-1 win. Revie's next game was the big test of England's World Cup aspirations as the squad travelled to Rome, and Cherry played as a holding midfielder in a confusing set-up and tactical nightmare as England lost 2-0. Trevor won his seventh cap in a 5-0 win over Luxembourg which got England's campaign back on track, and subsequently played in all three of the summer Home Internationals, though England lost to both Wales and Scotland and seemed to be on the decline. As the squad jetted out to South America for a brief summer tour, Revie wasn't with them - claiming he was watching future World Cup opponents - but in fact he was negotiating a new job with the UAE, and announced his intention to his players shortly afterwards.

Cherry played in all three tour games - all draws - but took an unwanted place in an exclusive club when he was sent off in Buenos Aires for retaliating after Argentine forward Daniel Bertoni punched out two of his teeth. He was only the third player to have received his marching orders in an England shirt. (Matthew Rudd)

Trevor Cherry did not receive a suspension of any kind for his sending off against Argentina and was duly picked by new coach Ron Greenwood for the remaining two World Cup qualifiers, the first of which required a cricket score to give England a chance of making the Wembley visit of Italy into an all-or-nothing decider. Sadly, the visit to Luxembourg ended in a mere 2-0 win and England's subsequent defeat of Italy by the same scoreline wasn't enough to prevent their opponents from winning the group and heading back to Argentina for the World Cup. Greenwood kept Cherry in the loop afterwards, playing him at left back in a 1-1 draw with Brazil in February 1978 but Trevor was now 30 years old and had numerous rivals for the full back positions competing against him. Phil Neal and Mick Mills had been the regular rival candidates for a shirt over the previous 18 months, but by 1979 the youngsters Viv Anderson and Kenny Sansom were also given their debuts, and performed impressively.

Cherry's 17th cap came in the summer of 1978 - a 3-1 Home International win over Wales in Cardiff - but he then suffered a broken shoulder playing for a rapidly-declining Leeds team and wasn't available again until November. Greenwood found himself with a large number of full backs to choose from and even though Cherry had versatility on his side by being equally capable of playing on the right or left, this was something which was also attributable to Mills and, at a push, Neal. England played ten matches in 1979 but Trevor featured just twice - at right back in a Home International clash against Wales, and at left back in a friendly against Sweden, with both ending goalless - and his place in the squad for the 1980 European Championships was anything but secure once England had qualified.

He played in five of the warm-up games (the photo above is during the 2-0 win against Scotland), however, and was given a place in the squad for Italy but as back-up to the first choice pairing of Neal and Mills, with Anderson also present. Cherry came on as a substitute for Anderson in the final group game against Spain, which England won 2-1, but earlier results guaranteed England's exit from the tournament and Greenwood settled on his younger defenders afterwards, feeling that a 32 year old Cherry no longer had anything to offer. (Matthew Rudd)