From school and part-time football to Championship international: The meteoric rise of Terry Devlin

The emerging Northern Ireland international has told how his ambitions and targets have been far superseded, after announcing himself as a second-tier operator of real promise this term.

But the big Pompey fans’ favourite has promised he will not change from being the humble, grounded and fiercely determined operator who has made himself such a popular figure at PO4.

An appearance at Sheffield Wednesday today would be Devlin’s 33rd of the season in the league, with 11 of those outings coming as starts in addition to two full cup appearances.

That has far exceeded the 21-year-old’s ambitions this term, though the campaign hasn’t been without challenges as he found himself on the fringes of John Mousinho’s squad earlier in the season.

The Pompey success is a far cry from the humble beginnings in Cookstown, County Tyrone for versatile operator, who has gone from a schoolboy dreaming of making the breakthrough to fully fledged international who’s making the Championship grade.

And that has also seen Devlin rewarded with a new contract, with new terms sealed until the summer of 2028.

‘I definitely can’t believe how it’s going,’ said Devlin, as he reflected on his season to savour. ‘Definitely not.

‘Maybe three or four years ago I was playing part-time football and in school, so to go from there to here is an unbelievable achievement.

‘Obviously winning the league last year and then securing safety in the Championship this season is unbelievable. Now next season we can push on and push up the table a bit more.

‘It’s been a tough year at times, at the start of the season I found myself out of squads around September and October time. I eventually got my chance though and I had to take it, thankfully I did.

‘I set myself a target at the start of the season to get 15-plus Championship appearances here, I felt that would be a massive achievement for me - but I’ve gone and doubled it and had around 15 starts.

‘So to do that I’m proud of myself and I want to keep working hard now.’

Terry Devlin: Pompey fans reward hard work and honesty

Devlin’s all-action style of play has now made his a firm Pompey favourite, while the likes of Matt Ritchie has touted the former Dungannon Swifts and Glentoran to go all the way to the top level.

Such accolades from his peers resonates with Devlin, as does the appreciation of the Fratton Faithful who’ve now afforded him his own ‘he plays where he wants’ chant.

Devlin added: ‘For me, it was about earning the respect of senior pros in my team - the likes of Marlon, Matt Ritchie and Colby.

‘It was all about earning their respect and I knew, if I earned their respect, then I knew that I deserved to be here.

‘I’m just buzzing to be a part of the squad and now I can’t wait to keep playing for the team.

‘I think you can see from the way that I play that I love playing here and being here. It’s an unbelievable football club and I’m just so proud to be a part of it.

‘I’m pleased to have a chant, too, not many get that!

‘The fans here reward hard work and honesty, that’s what I’ll give every time I pull on the jersey.’

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