DIAMOND WHO SPARKLED AT THE PALACE

Devenny can't believe his scenic journey from Airdrie benchwarmer to FA Cup-winning hero

- BY ANDY NEWPORT

IT'S February 2022. Justin Devenny is sitting on the bench at Airdrie wondering where his career is heading.

Fast forward just three-and-a-half years, the former Kilmarnock kid had to stop for a second as he clambered his way to the top of the Wembley steps to realise just how he'd made it.

The trouble for Steve Clarke and Scotland is that the chance to rewind the tape and claim the 21-year-old Crystal Palace ace for the nation of his birth has come and gone.

Born in Irvine and raised at Rugby Park, Devenny has taken not so much taken the scenic route to the Premier League and an FA Cup winners' medal as a 500-mile detour.

The starting point was the Killie academy but with first-team chances out of reach, his first stopover was a loan stint at Lowland League outfit Broomhill.

From there he headed to the Excelsior Stadium, first on loan with the Diamonds before signing permanently.

A mere 54 appearances in League One was all the evidence Palace needed to spot top-flight potential-something he has fulfilled this year with 23 appearances in the best league in the world.

His talent was so clear to Michael O'Neill that the Northern Ireland boss opted to cap the dynamic midfielder last November before Scotland could realise their mistake. Overlooked by a succession of SFA age-group coaches, he's now on course to become a regular for club and country-just not the one where he grew up.