John Potts (footballer)

John Foster Potts (22 January 1904 – 1 October 1986) was an English footballer. A goalkeeper, he was tall and described as "safe as houses". He spent 1926 to 1934 with Leeds United, winning promotions out of the Second Division in 1927–28 and 1931–32, and then spent two years with Port Vale. He was the brother in-law of the Milburn brothers Jack, George and Jimmy, who all played for Leeds United.

John Potts

Personal information
Full name	John Foster Potts[1]
Date of birth	22 January 1904[1]
Place of birth	Ashington, England[1]
Date of death	1 October 1986 (aged 82)
Place of death	Northumberland, England
Height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)[2]
Position(s)	Goalkeeper
Youth career
	Blyth Spartans
	Ashington Colliery
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1926–1934	Leeds United	247	(0)
1934–1936	Port Vale	82	(0)
Total		329	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Playing career

Potts played for Blyth Spartans and Ashington Colliery, before turning professional at Leeds United in February 1926.[3] He played 12 First Division games at the end of the 1925–26 season.[3] Now club captain, he made 45 appearances in the 1926–27 season, as Leeds were relegated into the Second Division.[3] He kept goal on 39 occasions in 1927–28, as United won promotion in second place.[3] He featured 41 times in 1928–29, but played only 18 games in the 1929–30 campaign.[3] He played 41 games in the 1930–31 season, as Leeds were relegated back into the second tier.[3] He then played 32 matches in the 1931–32 season, as United were again promoted in second place.[3] He made 34 appearances in the 1932–33 campaign, though was absent throughout the 1933–34 season.[3] In his eight years at Elland Road he made 247 league and 15 FA Cup appearances.[3]

In May 1934, he dropped into the Second Division to sign with Port Vale.[1] He kept a clean sheet in his debut match – a 2–0 win over Sheffield United at The Old Recreation Ground on 25 August.[1] He was an ever-present for the 1934–35 season and only missed two matches of the 1935–36 season, for a total of 86 appearances (82 in the Football League and four FA Cup) for the "Valiants".[1] Despite this feat he was released at the end of the 1935–36 season, and was replaced by his understudy Allan Todd.[1]

Statistics

Source:[4]

Club	Season	Division	League		FA Cup		Total
			Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Leeds United	1925–26	First Division	12	0	0	0	12	0
	1926–27	First Division	42	0	3	0	45	0
	1927–28	Second Division	38	0	1	0	39	0
	1928–29	First Division	39	0	2	0	41	0
	1929–30	First Division	16	0	2	0	18	0
	1930–31	First Division	38	0	3	0	41	0
	1931–32	Second Division	32	0	0	0	32	0
	1932–33	First Division	30	0	4	0	30	4
	1933–34	First Division	0	0	0	0	0	0
	Total		247	0	15	0	262	0
Port Vale	1934–35	Second Division	42	0	1	0	43	0
	1935–36	Second Division	40	0	3	0	43	0
	Total		82	0	4	0	86	0
Career total			329	0	19	0	348	0

Honours

Leeds United

• Football League Second Division runner-up: 1927–28 & 1931–32

References

1. Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. p. 236. ISBN 0-9529152-0-0.
2. "James Forster (Jimmy)". ozwhitelufc.net.au. Retrieved 20 January 2013.
3. "Profile". leeds-fans.org.uk. Retrieved 20 January 2013.
4. John Potts at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)