Ernie Devlin

Ernie Devlin
Personal information
Full name Ernest Devlin[1]
Date of birth (1920-03-06)6 March 1920[2]
Place of birth Gateshead,[2] England
Date of death 1976 (aged 55–56)[2]
Playing position Full back
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1941–1946 Gateshead 97 (1[3])
1946–1953 West Ham United 70 (0)
1953–1957 Darlington 115 (1)
Total 185 (1)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.


Ernest "Ernie" Devlin (6 March 1920 – 1976) was an English footballer who made 185 appearances in the Football League playing as a full back for West Ham United and Darlington in the years following the Second World War.[4]

Football career

Devlin was born in Gateshead, County Durham, and began his football career with his hometown club, Gateshead F.C. He signed for Second Division club West Ham United on 31 May 1946,[5] ahead of the first postwar season of the Football League. He made his debut towards the end of that season, and played just once in 1947–48, but became a more frequent member of the first eleven over the next couple of years.[2] An injury sustained in a 1–0 defeat of Queens Park Rangers on 4 February 1950[6] put an early end to his 1949–50 season, and although a regular selection in August and September 1950 he picked up an injury while contributing two own goals to a 5–3 loss at home to Sheffield United,[7][8] lost his place, and rarely regained it. He played just nine more league matches over the next two-and-a-half years.[2]

Devlin returned to the north-east to sign for Third Division North club Darlington in 1953.[2] He remained with the club for four years, and played 115 league matches. He scored just once, the first goal in a 3–0 home win against Workington on 19 April 1954.[9]

References

  1. ↑ Hugman, Barry J., ed. (2005). The PFA Premier & Football League Players' Records 1946–2005. London: Queen Anne Press. p. 168. ISBN 978-1-85291-665-7.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Ernie Devlin". westhamstats.info. Retrieved 28 March 2014.
  3. ↑ Soccer At War, Jack Rollin
  4. ↑ "West Ham United: 1946/47–2012/13". Post War English & Scottish Football League A–Z Players Database. Neil Brown. Retrieved 28 March 2014.
    "Darlington: 1946/47–1988/89 & 1990/91–2009/10". Post War English & Scottish Football League A–Z Players Database. Neil Brown. Retrieved 28 March 2014.
  5. ↑ "Untitled". Daily Express. London. 1 June 1946. p. 4.
  6. ↑ Old Timer (6 February 1950). "Those hammer blows fell without force". Daily Mirror. London. p. 10.
  7. ↑ "He scores twice against own side". Daily Mirror. 2 October 1950. p. 10.
  8. ↑ "He was called away for a new cap". Daily Mirror. 5 October 1950. p. 10.
  9. ↑ "Football results and tables". Manchester Guardian. 20 April 1954. p. 3.


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