{{short description|English footballer (1864–1940)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=June 2016}} {{Use British English|date=June 2016}} {{Infobox football biography | name = Harry Devey | image = | fullname = Henry Prince Devey | birth_date = {{birth date|1864|9|25|df=y}} | birth_place = Birmingham, England | death_date = {{death date and age|1940|4|25|1864|9|25|df=y}} | death_place = Moseley, Birmingham, England | position = Centre half | years1 = 1881–1884 | clubs1 = Aston Clarendon | years2 = 1884–1886 | clubs2 = Montrose (Birmingham) | years3 = 1886–1887 | clubs3 = Birmingham Excelsior | years4 = 1887–1892 | clubs4 = Aston Villa | caps4 = 73 | goals4 = 1 }}
'''Henry Prince Devey''' (25 September 1864 – 25 April 1940) was an English footballer who played in the Football League for Aston Villa.
==Personal life== Henry Prince Devey was born in Birmingham on 25 September 1864.<ref name="ENFA">{{cite web |url=https://www.enfa.co.uk/playersearch.php |title=Player search: Devey, HP (Harry) |website=English National Football Archive (ENFA) |access-date=15 April 2025 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> He came from a sporting family. His twin brother Bob played football for Aston Villa, but not in the Football League.<ref name="ENFA" /><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-birmingham-post-obituary-for-harry-d/170353355/ |title=Death of Mr. Harry Devey |newspaper=Birmingham Post |date=26 April 1940 |page=2 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.englandfootballonline.com/TeamPlyrsBios/PlayersD/BioDeveyJHG.html |title=Jack Devey |website=England Football Online |publisher=Chris Goodwin & Glen Isherwood |date=3 April 2024 |access-date=15 April 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Abel Devey |url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/127/127571/127571.html |website=CricketArchive |access-date=15 April 2025}}</ref>
Outside football, Devey worked as an electroplater.<ref name="Despatch obit">{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/evening-despatch-harry-devey-obit/170352493/ |title=Football loses another stalwart. Death of Mr. Harry Devey |newspaper=Evening Despatch |location=Birmingham |date=25 April 1940 |page=8 |quote=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. |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> He was married with a daughter.<ref name="Despatch obit" /> Devey died in a nursing home in Moseley, Birmingham, on 25 April 1940 at the age of 75.<ref name="Despatch obit" />
==Playing career== Devey played for Aston Clarendon, Montrose (Birmingham), and Birmingham Excelsior,<ref name="ENFA" /> from where he joined Aston Villa in August 1887.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-birmingham-post-h-devey-to-aston-vil/170354063/ |title=The prospects of the local football season |newspaper=Birmingham Daily Post |date=30 August 1887 |page=7 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>
===Season 1888–89=== 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.<ref name="ENFA" /> Aston Villa finished runners-up.<ref>{{cite book|last=Metcalf|first=Mark|title=The Origins of the Football League|date=2013|publisher=Amberley|isbn=978-1-4456-1881-4}}</ref>
==Professional baseball== In 1890 Devey played professional baseball for Aston Villa in the National League of Baseball of Great Britain.
==Statistics== {| class=wikitable style=text-align:center |+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition<ref name="ENFA" /> |- !rowspan=2|Club !rowspan=2|Season !colspan=3|League !colspan=2|FA Cup !colspan=2|Total |- !Division!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals |- |rowspan=6|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 |- !colspan="2"|Total !73||1||9||0||82||1 |}
==References== {{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Devey, Harry}} Category:1864 births Category:1940 deaths Category:English men's footballers Category:Aston Villa F.C. players Category:English Football League players Category:Men's association football defenders Category:English baseball players Category:Footballers from Birmingham, West Midlands
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