Dublin born John Devine signed apprentice forms for Arsenal in November 1974, and as a professional on 11 October 1976. The specialist right-back made his full Arsenal debut on 22 April 1978 in a 3-1 win at Leeds United for the injured Pat Rice and kept his place for the next two games which immediately preceded the 1978 FA Cup Final. Rice recovered, however, so Devine missed out on an early Wembley experience in the disappointing 1-0 defeat against Ipswich Town. He started the 1978/79 season in the side, but a bad injury kept him sidelined until late April as the club geared itself up for another F.A. Cup final, which John again missed out on. However, one bright spot for him prior to his injury was his European debut in a UEFA Cup tie away at Lokomotive Leipzig, which Arsenal won 4-1. 1979/80 was a marathon season as the Londoners fought a seventy game campaign. John made twenty league appearances deputising for the ageing Rice, but also as Sammy Nelson's stand in at left-back, a versatility that would serve him well come May. Things were going very satisfactorily for the young defender, but it was in the cup competitions where he first experienced real football drama. As the season passed Easter Arsenal were through to the semi-finals of both the FA Cup and the European Cup Winners' Cup. Devine played in a 1-0 victory that decided an epic Cup semi-final battle with Liverpool that took four attempts to settle, and also in one of the Gunners' most famous victories, a 1-0 success against Juventus in Turin that took the club through to the Cup Winners' Cup Final. Both games were all the more remarkable for Devine, as he played out of position at left-back. He was selected to start at Wembley, but things turned out as sour for him as they did for the club, for he had a poor game while Arsenal lost 0-1 to West Ham and he was dropped for the following game, the Cup Winners' Cup Final against Valencia, which the Gunners also lost in a penalty shoot-out. In the summer Rice moved to Watford and Devine, now first choice right-back, played thirty-nine games in 1980/81 as Arsenal achieved a third place league finish. However, two subsequent disappointing seasons saw veteran John Hollins becoming the established right-back and after a first team career of 111 league and cup games over six seasons, Devine moved to Norwich City on a free transfer in June 1983. (David Fensome)