Terry Devlin will come back to Portsmouth stronger after Northern Ireland moment
Portsmouth defender Terry Devlin made his senior debut for Northern Ireland against Switzerland on Friday.
The Pompey man was not named in Michael O’Neill’s starting 11, but made a 15-minute cameo appearance from the bench.
Northern Ireland took a 1-0 lead thanks to a free-kick scored by West Brom star Isaac Price but were held to a 1-1 draw by Switzerland who equalised through Vincent Sierro.
O’Neill’s men are next in action when they take on Sweden this Tuesday, just four days before Portsmouth’s Championship encounter with play-off chasers Blackburn.
Pompey ace Devlin appears set for his maiden Northern Ireland start
Pompey’s Devlin made 11 appearances for Northern Ireland’s Under-21 side before being called up to O’Neill’s senior side.
The 21-year-old now looks set to make his first start at senior international courtesy of injuries suffered by fellow right-backs Conor Bradley and Sunderland’s Trai Hume.
Devlin was honoured to enjoy his Northern Ireland debut last week, but he can now look forward to being named in O’Neill’s starting 11 for the first time.
Portsmouth star Devlin will become a better player when he faces Sweden
Devlin has made 26 appearances for Portsmouth in the Championship so far this term, albeit just 10 of those outings have seen him named in John Mousinho’s starting 11.
| Terry Devlin Portsmouth stats | Championship 2024/25 |
| Appearances | 26 |
| Starts | 10 |
| Minutes played | 1,158 |
He was present for the vast majority of the game when Pompey lost to Preston last time out, only making way for striker Thomas Waddingham once his side were 2-1 down in second-half additional time.
Portsmouth’s defeat to Preston left the Hampshire side a mere four points clear of the Championship relegation zone, so Mousinho will need the likes of Devlin to be at their very best if the club are to avoid an unwanted return to League One.
Meanwhile, when he plays for Northern Ireland on Tuesday, Devlin will be testing himself up against the likes of prolific Newcastle striker Alexander Isak, Nottingham Forest winger Anthony Elanga, and sought-after Sporting Club goal machine Viktor Gyokeres.
Such a remarkable experience will make the Pompey man a stronger player, who will be better equipped to help his team’s quest to retain their Championship status.