Les Devonshire

DOB: 13th June 1926

Position: Winger

Season of first appearance: 1955/56

Season of last appearance: 1955/56

Full Appearances: 23

Substitute: 0

Goals: 12

Also played for:

Queens Park Rangers (0), Brentford (0), Wealdstone, Chester City (45,4), Crystal Palace (87,12) and Canterbury City.

Player Profile:

London-born, pacy left-sided player who started his career as an amateur with Queens Park Rangers, joining the club in the summer of 1947. Les never played for QPR's first team and in May 1948 he moved on to Brentford.

He didn't play in the Bees' senior side either and in June 1950 Les joined Chester. He was a fixture in their first team during the 1950/51 season.

Les linked up with Crystal Palace for the 1951/52 campaign and went on to make 87 first team appearances for the Eagles before dropping into non-league football to join Margate in July 1955.

Les made quite an impact at Hartsdown Park with his clever play and he scored twice on his debut - a 5-1 home win over Canterbury on 20.8.55. He also bagged four goals in a 5-3 home win over Dover on 3.9.55 and on 19.11.55 Les was in the Margate side that drew 2-2 with Walsall at Hartsdown Park in the FA Cup 1st Round. He also played in the replay at Walsall on 24.11.55 that the home side won 6-1.

Les was a fixture Margate's team until February 1956 when he was 'rested'. Manager Almer Hall felt that he was struggling on the heavy pitches at that time of the season and Les found himself in the reserves for the remainder of the campaign, Dave O'Callaghan replacing him in the first team. At the end of the 1955/56 season Les joined Canterbury City having scored 12 times in his 23 appearances for Margate.

He went on to spend the 1956/57, 1957/58, 1958/59 and 1959/60 seasons with City.

Les was the father of 1970's / 1980's West Ham and England player Alan Devonshire who was born during his spell with Margate and the club gave him a christening spoon to mark the event.

In March 2002 Les was living in Greenford, Middlesex and had been married for 54 years. One of his 11 grand-children was part of Brentford's academy at the time.

In 2004 Les was invited to Brentford's Griffin Park as part of the club's centenary celebrations and he walked out on to the pitch to be introduced to the crowd.

Les died on 19.12.12 at the age of 86.