Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Henry Prince Devey[1][2] | ||
Date of birth | 25 September 1864[1][2] | ||
Place of birth | Birmingham, England | ||
Date of death | 1940 (aged 79–80)[1][3] | ||
Position(s) | Defender | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1881–1884 | Aston Clarendon F.C | ||
1884–1886 | Montrose (Birmingham) F.C. | ||
1886–1887 | Birmingham Excelsior | ||
1887–1892 | Aston Villa | 73 | (4) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
Henry Prince Devey (September - December 1864 – 1940) was an English footballer who played in The Football League for Aston Villa.[4][5][3]
He was one of five brothers who all played professional football, Ted and Will for Small Heath and Jack, Harry and Bob Devey for Aston Villa. Another brother, Abel, was a cricketer with Staffordshire.[6]
From 1881 to 1886 Devey played for two clubs for which there are no records, Aston Clarendon F.C. and Montrose F.C. (Birmingham). From 1886-1887 Devey played for Birmingham Excelsior a club founded in 1869.
Harry Devey was a key member of the Aston Villa squad in the Football League inaugural season of 1888–1889. 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.[5] Aston Villa finished runners-up.[7]
In 1890 Devey played professional baseball for Aston Villa in the National League of Baseball of Great Britain.
Source:[8]
Club | Season | Division | League | FA Cup | Total | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
Aston Villa | 1888–89 | The Football League | 21 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 24 | 0 |
Aston Villa | 1889–90 | Football League | 19 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 20 | 0 |
Aston Villa | 1890–91 | Football League | 19 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 20 | 0 |
Aston Villa | 1891–92 | Football League | 10 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 14 | 1 |
Aston Villa | 1892–93 | First Division | 4 | 0 | - | - | 4 | 0 |