Happy 64th Birthday Alan Devonshire
Today we look back at arguably one of the Hammers’ most skilful players of all-time – Alan Devonshire. Dev was born in Park Royal, north-west London on the 13th April 1956 and started his career with non-league Southall while working as a fork-lift truck driver at the Hoover Factory in Perivale having been rejected twice by Crystal Palace for being too small. He joined West Ham United for a paltry £5,000 in 1976 and made his debut on the 27th October that year in a 2-0 home defeat to Q.P.R. in the fourth round of the League Cup. In his debut season, the supporters named the 21-year-old Devonshire as runner-up to Trevor Brooking in the voting for the 1976/77 Hammer of the Year. Devonshire and Brooking would go on to enjoy a fantastically entertaining, almost telepathic, partnership at the club.
Dev’s first goals for the club came on the 12th November 1977 as he struck twice in a 3-3 draw with West Brom at the Boleyn Ground but his efforts in that 1977/78 season could not prevent the Hammers from being relegated. Devonshire scored five goals in 43 appearances and was voted Hammer of the Year as his silky skills helped the Hammers finish fifth in the Second Division in 1978/79. An attacking left-sided midfielder who possessed tremendous dribbling skills and the ability to beat a series of players in quick succession, it was Devonshire who gave West Ham the lead in the FA Cup semi-final replay against Everton in 1980 – Frank Lampard later ensuring the Hammers’ successful path through to the Final after Bob Latchford had equalised.
Devonshire became an FA Cup winner at Wembley, his run and cross eventually leading to Brooking heading what would prove to be the winner against Arsenal. Later that month, Devonshire made his England debut under Ron Greenwood in a 1-1 draw against Northern Ireland. The presence of Glenn Hoddle often blocked Devonshire’s path to the England team and he would only go on to win eight caps for his country, missing out on a place in Greenwood’s squad for the 1982 World Cup and making his final appearance under Bobby Robson against Luxembourg towards the end of 1983.
West Ham did win promotion in 1980/81, with a two-goal salvo in a 5-0 triumph over Preston proving to be a particular highlight and the start of five goals in five games for Devonshire. His double in the Preston match, the fourth and fifth goals of the game, can be viewed in my video below. He would also play in the League Cup Final that season but the Hammers were beaten by Liverpool in a replay.
The Hammers consolidated as a top-flight club and Devonshire would go on to play a part in the Boleyn Ground’s biggest-ever winning scoreline as he scored twice in the 10-0 League Cup second round second leg win over Bury. However, less than three months later, on the 7th January 1984, disaster struck for Dev as he snapped three ligaments in his right knee in a 1-0 FA Cup third round win over Wigan. He would not play again for 14 months but broke down in his second game back, a 5-1 FA Cup fifth round replay win against Wimbledon.
Devonshire made a full comeback from the start of the 1985/86 season as the Hammers marched to a third-place finish, the club’s highest ever. He had lost some of his pace but his creative nous had not waned. He made 47 starts in all competitions that season and 27 in the following campaign. His stunning strike at Chelsea opened the scoring with the Hammers going on to record a memorable 4-0 victory at Stamford Bridge in March 1986.
1987/88 was to be another injury nightmare for Dev however as he snapped his Achilles tendon 15 minutes into the opening game against Q.P.R. He would again be out of action for over a year. The Hammers were in decline when he returned and would be relegated in 1988/89, with Devonshire making 20 league starts. John Lyall, with whom Devonshire had won an FA Cup, promotion to the First Division, experienced European football and a third-placed finish, was sacked. Devonshire did not see too much action under Lou Macari and he deserved better than the finish to his West Ham career that he had to endure, with his final game being the 6-0 defeat at Oldham in the League Cup semi-final first leg. At the age of 34, Devonshire was granted a free transfer by new manager Billy Bonds in May 1990 – he had made 448 appearances in all competitions for West Ham United, scoring 32 goals.
My video below showcases 14 of Dev’s 32 goals in a West Ham shirt. The compilation on the WHTID social media pages also includes his superb solo goal at Wrexham in November 1980.
Devonshire signed for Watford, where he played for two years, making 27 appearances and scoring one goal, before retiring as a player in 1992. Dev is now a highly-respected manager at non-league level having accrued vast experience over a number of years. He started at Maidenhead United before moving on to Hampton & Richmond Borough. He spent four years at Braintree Town, making the part-time outfit a competitive force in the National League (formerly the Conference), a division which contains a number of professional clubs. Dev, who turns 64 today and was strongly linked with a move into the Football League with Colchester four years ago, is now back with Maidenhead.
West Ham 3-0 Wimbledon, 13th April 1995
Take That were number one with ‘Back For Good’, Dumb and Dumber topped the UK box office and West Ham United met ‘the old’ Wimbledon on a Thursday night at the Boleyn Ground on 13th April 1995.
21,804 were in attendance for the Premier League encounter at Upton Park as Harry Redknapp’s West Ham United took on Wimbledon, managed by Joe Kinnear. The Hammers took the lead through a Julian Dicks penalty in the first half before going on to play some fantastic football in the second. Jeroen Boere (pictured below) headed home the Irons’ second goal after fantastic right-wing work by Michael Hughes.
Hughes was involved again for the third, releasing Tim Breacker who calmly beat his man and cut the ball back for Tony Cottee to place a low effort into the corner – TC would be the Hammers’ top scorer that season, with 15 goals from 36 appearances. Steve Potts would win the Hammer of the Year for 1994/95, with Cottee runner-up. The Dons ended up occupying ninth place, with West Ham finishing in 14th position. Blackburn were Premier League champions and Everton won the FA Cup.
West Ham United: Ludek Miklosko, Tim Breacker, Steve Potts, Marc Rieper, Julian Dicks, Michael Hughes, Martin Allen, Ian Bishop, Matt Holmes, Tony Cottee, Jeroen Boere.
Wimbledon: Neil Sullivan, Warren Barton, Kenny Cunningham, Andy Thorn, Alan Reeves, Oyvind Leonhardsen, Gary Elkins, Vinnie Jones, Marcus Gayle (Andy Clarke), Mick Harford, Dean Holdsworth.
West Ham 1-0 Bolton, 13th April 1996
West Ham United met Bolton Wanderers in east London in front of 23,086 on the 13th April 1996, two days after the birth of Tottenham and England midfielder Dele Alli. Mark Morrison was number one with ‘Return Of The Mack’ and Adam Sandler was in UK cinemas in Billy Madison as the Hammers emerged victorious against Colin Todd’s Trotters with a 1-0 win.
Tony Cottee (pictured below) was again on the scoresheet for the hosts at the Boleyn Ground, as he had been exactly a year earlier against Wimbledon. Danny Williamson played an inch-perfect 28th-minute chip into the path of Cottee’s run into the Bolton penalty area which TC controlled with his right foot before almost instantly finishing with his left, in the style of his hero Bryan ‘Pop’ Robson. Cottee finished the season as the Hammers’ top scorer with 12 goals from 39 games. The goals from both the Wimbledon and Bolton games can be viewed on the WHTID social media pages.
Harry Redknapp’s Hammers finished tenth in the 1995/96 Premier League, while Bolton ended up bottom and were relegated. Julian Dicks was voted Hammer of the Year, with Iain Dowie runner-up. Manchester United won a Premier League and FA Cup Double.
West Ham United: Ludek Miklosko, Tim Breacker, Marc Rieper, Slaven Bilic, Julian Dicks, Robbie Slater (Keith Rowland), Danny Williamson, Ian Bishop, Michael Hughes (John Moncur), Iain Dowie, Tony Cottee.
Bolton Wanderers: Gavin Ward, Simon Coleman, Gudni Bergsson, Chris Fairclough, Alan Stubbs, Jimmy Phillips, Sasa Curcic, Scott Sellars, Alan Thompson, John McGinlay, Nathan Blake (Fabian De Freitas).