Harry Devey
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Henry Prince Devey | ||
| Date of birth | 25 September 1864 | ||
| Place of birth | Birmingham, England | ||
| Date of death | 25 April 1940 (aged 75) | ||
| Place of death | Moseley, Birmingham, England | ||
| Position | Centre half | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1881–1884 | Aston Clarendon | ||
| 1884–1886 | Montrose (Birmingham) | ||
| 1886–1887 | Birmingham Excelsior | ||
| 1887–1892 | Aston Villa | 73 | (1) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Henry Prince Devey (25 September 1864 – 25 April 1940) was an English footballer who played in the Football League for Aston Villa.
Personal life
[edit]Henry Prince Devey was born in Birmingham on 25 September 1864.[1] He came from a sporting family. His twin brother Bob played football for Aston Villa, but not in the Football League.[1][2] Three nephews all played football professionally, Jack Devey for Aston Villa and England, Ted for Small Heath and Will for several Midlands-based clubs, and their brother Abel played Minor Counties cricket for Staffordshire.[3][4]
Outside football, Devey worked as an electroplater.[5] He was married with a daughter.[5] Devey died in a nursing home in Moseley, Birmingham, on 25 April 1940 at the age of 75.[5]
Playing career
[edit]Devey played for Aston Clarendon, Montrose (Birmingham), and Birmingham Excelsior,[1] from where he joined Aston Villa in August 1887.[6]
Season 1888–89
[edit]Harry Devey was a key member of the Aston Villa squad in the Football League inaugural season of 1888–89. Devey played in the first ever Villa League match on 8 September 1888 at Dudley Road, Wolverhampton then home of Wolverhampton Wanderers. The match ended 1-1. Devey was described as a keen, hard-tackler who had the ability, then rare for a defender at bringing the ball forward. He only missed one game in 1888-1889 and was part of the excellent Aston Villa defence (as Centre-Half) that only conceded 43 goals in 1888-1889 the 3rd lowest in the League in 1888–1889. As a centre-half he played in a defence that achieved one League clean-sheet and kept the opposition to one-League-goal-in-a-match on no less than on eight occasions.[1] Aston Villa finished runners-up.[7]
Professional baseball
[edit]In 1890 Devey played professional baseball for Aston Villa in the National League of Baseball of Great Britain.
Statistics
[edit]| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Aston Villa | 1888–89 | Football League | 21 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 24 | 0 |
| 1889–90 | Football League | 19 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 20 | 0 | |
| 1890–91 | Football League | 19 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 20 | 0 | |
| 1891–92 | Football League | 10 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 14 | 1 | |
| 1892–93 | First Division | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
| Total | 73 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 82 | 1 | ||
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 "Player search: Devey, HP (Harry)". English National Football Archive (ENFA). Retrieved 15 April 2025.
- ↑ "Death of Mr. Harry Devey". Birmingham Post. 26 April 1940. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Jack Devey". England Football Online. Chris Goodwin & Glen Isherwood. 3 April 2024. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
- ↑ "Abel Devey". CricketArchive. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
- 1 2 3 "Football loses another stalwart. Death of Mr. Harry Devey". Evening Despatch. Birmingham. 25 April 1940. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
Following an operation a month ago he was removed to a nursing home in Moseley, where he died this morning at the age of 75.
- ↑ "The prospects of the local football season". Birmingham Daily Post. 30 August 1887. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Metcalf, Mark (2013). The Origins of the Football League. Amberley. ISBN 978-1-4456-1881-4.
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