| view Devera's match-by-match record |
| Joe DEVERA | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Paolo di Canio's first signing as Town boss - defender Devera signed a two year contract at Swindon in June 2011, after winning Barnet's player of the year award the previous season, and despite rumoured interest from Reading, Millwall and Crystal Palace. He made his Town debut on the first day of the season, in a 3-0 victory over Crewe. As Swindon made a poor start to the season, Devera found himself competing for his place with Aden Flint and Alberto Comazzi - and though he generally performed well upon returning to the side in September, a 3-3 draw with Hereford in early October prompted di Canio to make changes - the pairing of Flint with makeshift defender Alan McCormack proving very effective. After a month out of the side, Devera returned for a Johnstone's Paint Trophy tie against AFC Wimbledon which the Town won on penalties - but ankle ligament damage suffered during training sidelined him for longer than expected, and he didn't return to the side until the turn of the year. Suspension for McCormack gave Devera a chance in mid-January, and he netted his first goal at the end of the month, in a superb 4-1 win at promotion chasing Southend - and by the time McCormack returned, Aden Flint was ruled out with injury. With the Town winning ten games on the bounce during this period, they shot to the top of the table and also won through to the Johnstone's Paint Trophy final, beating Devera's former club Barnet in the two-legged semi. Devera netted his second Town goal against Dagenham in early March before his appearance at Wembley in the 2-0 defeat against Chesterfield - in the league, Swindon got themselves to the brink of promotion, travelling to Aldershot in mid-April needing only a point to secure their elevation. Devera was forced to retire just half-an-hour into the game through injury, and he missed the final three games of the season - and though they missed out when the Shots recorded a 2-1 win, promotion and the League Two championship was eventually wrapped up. After Paul Caddis left the club on loan over the summer, it handed Devera the opportunity to claim the right back slot - a position that he had taken when Caddis was injured the previous season. Devera began the new campaign as the first choice right-back - playing all of the first nine games of the season, until Nathan Thompson was given a chance at Portsmouth (a match where Devera managed to get himself booked for time-wasting, without even playing). Thompson’s impressive performances kept Devera out of the side for a month, until a thigh injury sidelined the youngster for a few games - Devera was also utilised on the left side of defence at Stevenage, before being moved back into the centre of defence in November, when Aden Flint was out through suspension. This time, Devera kept his favoured position right through to the middle of January - a spell that saw the defender named as captain for a period in the absence of regular skipper Alan McCormack, and also saw Swindon play some of their best football of the season - including four back-to-back victories over the Christmas period, with sixteen goals scored and none conceded. A hamstring injury kept Devera out of a 2-0 win over Shrewsbury though, and though he was brought back into the starting eleven for the next game - a 0-0 draw at Leyton Orient - he was forced to withdraw in the first half with a recurrence of the same problem. That game in East London proved to be di Canio’s last in charge at the club - and by the time Devera was available again in early March, new boss Kevin MacDonald was in charge. Devera remained benched right through until mid-April, as first Thompson and then new loan signing Nathan Byrne took the right-back slot, with Aden Flint and Darren Ward the favoured centre back pairing - until five straight games without a win persuaded MacDonald to move Alan McCormack from left back into midfield, Byrne over to the left, and Devera on the right hand side. The change brought back-to-back home victories that secured the Town’s play-off spot - and Devera played all of the last five games, scoring his only goal of the season in the second leg of the play-off semi-final, helping the Town to come back from 3-1 down against Brentford, to draw 3-3. When the game went to penalties, Devera stepped up to score the Town’s first in the shootout, only for the promotion dream to be shattered as Brentford netted all of their spot kicks to win through to Wembley. That action proved to be Devera’s last in a Town shirt, as MacDonald decided not to retain him at the end of the season - the defender quickly agreeing a two-year deal to sign for Portsmouth soon after his release from the County Ground. PLAYING RECORD:
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date of birth
usual positions central defence right back other positions left back youth career senior career |
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ENGLAND
VENEZUELA
