‘Amazing to see someone like that’: Portsmouth favourite lauds unsung hero as Fratton Park stock soars
Terry Devlin has amassed 20 appearances for Pompey in all competitions so far this season.
Zak Swanson has lauded Terry Devlin’s impressive emergence at right-back after an outstanding start to the season.
And the ex-Arsenal defender has lifted the lid on the 22-year-old’s formidable work behind the scenes as he strives for success on the south coast.
The full-back is currently enjoying his most successful run of form at Fratton Park as his stock soars following a magnificent opening four months of the campaign.
Having been transitioned into an out-and-out right-back by John Mousinho last term, Devlin has solidified himself as the head coach’s go-to man on the right-side of defence.
This has seen the former Glentoran man amass 20 appearances in all competitions to date and has started 11 of Pompey’s previous 12 league games.
With the Fratton faithful recognising his impressive step up to Championship level in recent months, that admiration has also been made clear by one of his defensive counterparts.
Pompey defender lauds emerging favourite
Swanson, who himself is flourishing in a new-look role at left-back, has credited Devlin for his formidable rise this term and is insistent the defender is reaping the rewards for his work behind the scenes.
He told The News: ‘It’s testament to Tez (Terry Devlin). If anyone knows Tez, they know how hard he works.
‘He works so hard every day, he works at all aspects of his game and he reaps the rewards. Although he plays the same position as me but it‘s amazing to see someone like that.
‘I see Tez when he come in, he’ll be the first one to tell you, he first came in as a midfield player but he’s learnt so much about becoming a full-back and he’s learnt it so quickly and to do it in the Championship is very much testament to him.
‘The way he works and you can see the passion he’s got, he loves it. We need someone like that. Especially like Tez he brings that massively for us, especially when you play in the backline.
‘If you’ve got people like that it helps massively. It helps the forward players and he’s reaping the rewards of his hard work.’
Terry Devlin’s Pompey career to date
Devlin made the move from Glentoran in July 2023 and impressed in his maiden campaign on the south coast, featuring 25 times in all competitions as the Blues went on to claim the League One title.
Despite initially arriving as a midfielder, Mousinho transitioned the four-cap Northern Ireland international into a right-back at the beginning of last season, which saw him go on to amass 36 outings in all competitions.
The 22-year-old then penned a new long-term deal in March, tying him down to the summer of 2028.
This term, Devlin has totalled 20 appearances in all competitions for Pompey and netted his third goal of the campaign in Boxing Day’s 1-1 draw against QPR.