Known as the King of the sliding tacklers, Sherwood was an ex-miner who threw his all into the game especially when facing the England forward, Stanley Matthews, who described him as "the most difficult opponent he ever played against".
[2] Sherwood was born in North View Terrace, a short distance away from the ground of his hometown club Aberaman Athletic.
[3] As a youngster, Sherwood was a youth international for Wales at both football and cricket, playing alongside Trevor Ford and Gilbert Parkhouse, before becoming one of the Bevin Boys, a scheme created by former Minister of Labour and National Service Ernest Bevin, in which young men aged between 18 and 25 were drafted to work as miners during World War II.
Sherwood joined Cardiff City in 1942, from Aberaman Athletic after impressing then manager Cyril Spiers in a wartime friendly.
The Football League returned for the 1946–47 season and Sherwood missed just one match as the club finished top of the third division south.