Port Vale Born in
Stoke-on-Trent, Cheadle worked at Mossfield Colliery and in the local pottery industry before he joined the army.
North Staffordshire Regiment Physical Training Instructor
Matt Busby converted him from left-back to centre-half. During
World War II, in a battlefield in the Netherlands in 1944, he received a
shrapnel injury after throwing a faulty
grenade that nearly went off in his hand. At a
rehabilitation centre, Cheadle spoke to Vale trainer
Ken Fish, who told him to report to
Port Vale after the war as the club may have a place for him. Playing in Army matches, Cheadle was
coached by
Matt Busby, who managed to secure a trial for Cheadle for
Liverpool against
Stoke City. Cheadle took the advice of Fish and came to the
Old Recreation Ground and signed professional forms in March 1946 for £8 a week. He made his league debut in a 4–1 victory against
Ipswich Town on 2 March. He hit a total of eight goals in 23
Third Division South games in 1947–48. He scored twice in 23 games in
1948–49, before making 46 appearances as a centre-half in
1949–50 under the stewardship of
Gordon Hodgson. Cheadle was one of the starting XI who played in the first match at
Vale Park. He played 36 games in
1950–51, including a draw with
Millwall on 28 October at
The Den, a game which he played until the end despite breaking three teeth in a hefty collision. He featured 40 times in
1951–52, surviving
Ivor Powell's brief reign to establish himself as a key part of new
manager Freddie Steele's first-team plans. He was an ever-present throughout the 49 games in the
1952–53 campaign, as the "Valiants" finished as runners-up in the
Third Division North. He was
captain during the
1953–54 season, where Vale made it to the
FA Cup semi-finals and won the Third Division North title. The team had conceded just 21 goals in 46 games with Cheadle at the heart of the '
Iron Curtain' defence consisting of
Ray King (goalkeeper), Cheadle,
Reg Potts,
Stan Turner and
Roy Sproson. In the semi-final clash with
West Bromwich Albion at
Villa Park he was dispossessed for the "Throstles"
equaliser and gave away the
penalty for Albion's winning goal. Cheadle featured only 26 times in the
Second Division in
1954–55. He played 19 games in
1955–56 and 14 games in
1956–57, as the club suffered
relegation under new boss
Norman Low. His final game was a 6–0 defeat to
Sheffield United on 25 March, a game in which Cheadle scored an
own goal.
Crewe Alexandra Now 38 years old, he moved to nearby
Cheshire club
Crewe Alexandra as a player-coach in July 1957. He played 37 league games for the "Railwaymen" as the club finished bottom of the Third Division North in
1957–58 under
Maurice Lindley and 18th in the
Fourth Division in
1958–59 under the stewardship of
Harry Ware. He retired as a player at
Gresty Road in 1959. ==Style of play==