Darren Potter facts for kids
Potter playing for Sheffield Wednesday in 2010.
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 21 December 1984 | ||
| Place of birth | Liverpool, England | ||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1995–1999 | Everton | ||
| 1999–2001 | Blackburn Rovers | ||
| 2001–2003 | Liverpool | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2003–2007 | Liverpool | 2 | (0) |
| 2006 | → Southampton (loan) | 10 | (0) |
| 2006 | → Wolverhampton Wanderers (loan) | 21 | (0) |
| 2007–2009 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 35 | (0) |
| 2009 | → Sheffield Wednesday (loan) | 17 | (2) |
| 2009–2011 | Sheffield Wednesday | 79 | (6) |
| 2011–2017 | Milton Keynes Dons | 229 | (9) |
| 2017–2019 | Rotherham United | 17 | (0) |
| 2019–2020 | Tranmere Rovers | 12 | (0) |
| 2020 | Altrincham | 0 | (0) |
| Total | 422 | (17) | |
| National team | |||
| Republic of Ireland U21 | |||
| 2007–2008 | Republic of Ireland | 5 | (0) |
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Darren Michael Potter (born 21 December 1984) is a former professional footballer. He played as a midfielder. Darren played in 502 games over 16 years. He played in the Premier League and the English Football League. Even though he was born in England, he played five times for the Republic of Ireland.
Darren started his career at Liverpool. He first played for the senior team in a UEFA Champions League game in August 2004. Liverpool went on to win this competition that season. He played 17 games for Liverpool in total. However, he only played twice in the Premier League. In 2006, he went on loan to Southampton and Wolverhampton Wanderers.
He joined Wolves permanently in January 2007. He played regularly in the 2006–07 season. But he lost his spot the next season. He then went on loan to Sheffield Wednesday in 2009. He joined them permanently in July 2009. Sheffield Wednesday was moved down to a lower league in 2010. Darren left the club in June 2011.
Potter then signed with Milton Keynes Dons in June 2011. He was named the club's Player of the Year for the 2011–12 season. He was also chosen for the PFA Team of the Year. His team moved up to a higher league after finishing second in his fourth season. However, they were moved down again after just one season in the Championship.
He left the club in 2017 and joined Rotherham United. He got an Achilles injury six months later. This kept him from playing until the very last game of the 2018–19 season. He played for Tranmere Rovers in the 2019–20 season. Darren Potter announced his retirement from football in November 2020 while playing for Altrincham.
Contents
Darren Potter's Club Career
Playing for Liverpool
Darren Potter was born in Liverpool. He grew up in the Scotland Road area of the city. He was released by Everton when he was 15. Everton was the club he supported as a boy. He then spent time in the youth team at Blackburn Rovers. Later, he joined Liverpool in 2001. He became a professional player at Liverpool in April 2002.
He played his first senior game for Liverpool on 10 August 2004. This was in a UEFA Champions League qualifying match. He came on as a late substitute for Steve Finnan. He played the last five minutes against the Austrian team Grazer AK. He started the next game at Anfield 14 days later. Liverpool lost that game 1–0 but won overall.
Darren played his first Premier League game on 1 February. Liverpool won 2–1 against Charlton Athletic. He also played in the knockout stages of the Champions League. Liverpool went on to win the final against Milan. Only the players who were in the squad for the final received medals. He played 10 games in the 2004–05 season.
In the next season, he played in pre-season games. He also played in Champions League qualifying rounds. But he did not play in the Premier League. He made a short appearance in a Champions League group game. This was a 0–0 draw with Real Betis. On 26 January, he joined Championship team Southampton. This was a loan for the rest of the 2005–06 season. He helped Kenwyne Jones score a goal in his first game for Southampton. This was a 1–0 win against Leicester City in the FA Cup. He played 12 games for Southampton.
Time at Wolverhampton Wanderers
On 17 August 2006, Potter went on loan to Wolverhampton Wanderers. This was for the 2006–07 season. He scored his first career goal on 16 January. This was in a 2–0 win against Oldham Athletic in the FA Cup. His loan move became permanent two days later. He signed a three-and-a-half-year contract. He played 44 games for Wolves that season. He helped the team reach the play-offs. However, they lost in the semi-finals to West Bromwich Albion.
His second season with Wolves was not as good. The manager, Mick McCarthy, offered him a chance to leave. Potter could go on the transfer list in January. This would help him find more playing time. But Potter said no and stayed at Molineux. However, the club put him on the transfer list at the end of the season. He stayed at the club and was told to fight for his place.
Joining Sheffield Wednesday
Darren did not play for Wolves in the first half of the 2008–09 season. He joined Sheffield Wednesday on loan in January. He stayed there until the end of the season. Potter scored for Sheffield Wednesday in his first game. This was a 4–1 win over Charlton on 17 January. His loan deal became permanent on 10 July.
Potter scored his first goal of the 2009–10 season on 22 August. This was in a 4–0 win over Scunthorpe United. His next goal was a curved shot against Blackpool. Potter also scored with a volley against their rivals Sheffield United. This was in the Steel City derby on 19 April. Sheffield Wednesday was moved down to a lower league at the end of the season.
The club found it hard to play in League One. They finished the 2010–11 season in 15th place. Potter scored four goals in 40 games. He also received his first red card in his career. This was for a foul in a 5–3 loss to Peterborough United.
Playing for Milton Keynes Dons
On 24 June 2011, Potter signed a one-year contract. This was with League One club Milton Keynes Dons. He was sent off in his fourth game for the Dons. He received two yellow cards in a 1–0 win against Yeovil Town. He signed a new two-year contract in April 2012. He played 49 games in the 2011–12 season. He scored three goals. The Dons reached the play-offs. But they lost to Huddersfield Town. Potter was named on the PFA Team of the Year. He was also Milton Keynes Dons Player of the Year.
In the 2012–13 season, he played his most games and scored his most goals. He scored five goals in 55 games. The club finished just outside the play-off spots. He played 37 games at Stadium mk in the 2013–14 season. On 21 February 2014, Potter signed a new two-year contract. The club moved up to a higher league at the end of the 2014–15 season. They finished second behind Bristol City.
In October 2015, Potter signed a new contract until 2017. The Dons only stayed one season in the Championship. They were moved down after finishing 23rd in the 2015–16 season. Potter recovered from a knee injury. He played 38 games that season. He scored once in a 5–1 loss to Chelsea in the FA Cup. On 24 April 2017, Milton Keynes Dons announced that Potter would leave the club. He had played for six seasons, with 266 games and 12 goals.
Moving to Rotherham United
On 14 June 2017, Potter signed a two-year contract. This was with Rotherham United. He was one of the best players for manager Paul Warne in the first half of the 2017–18 season. However, in December 2017, he got an Achilles injury. This needed two operations. It kept him from playing until the last game of the 2018–19 season. He left the New York Stadium when his contract ended in June 2019.
Time at Tranmere Rovers
On 28 June 2019, Potter signed a one-year contract. This was with Micky Mellon's Tranmere Rovers. He played 15 games in the first half of the 2019–20 season. Tranmere was moved down to League Two. This happened after the season ended early because of the COVID-19 pandemic in England.
Playing for Altrincham and Retirement
Potter signed a short-term deal with National League club Altrincham on 22 October 2020. He played for them in an FA Cup game three days later. He left the club in less than a week. He then announced his retirement on 17 November. He decided to become a coach at Port Vale.
International Career
Potter played many times for Republic of Ireland youth teams. He played in the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship. He later played his first game for Ireland's senior team. This was a friendly game against Ecuador on 23 May 2007. He played a total of five games for Ireland. His last game was in February 2008 against Brazil.
How Darren Potter Played
Darren Potter was a midfielder. He was good at tackling and keeping the ball. He also showed good leadership skills on the field.
Coaching Career
Potter left his coaching job at Port Vale. He then joined their rivals Stoke City. He became the Lead Youth Development Phase Coach. He worked with players aged 15-16.
Career Statistics
Club Statistics
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Liverpool | 2004–05 | Premier League | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| 2005–06 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 0 | |
| Liverpool total | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 17 | 0 | ||
| Southampton (loan) | 2005–06 | Championship | 10 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 12 | 0 | |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 2006–07 | Championship | 38 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 44 | 1 |
| 2007–08 | Championship | 18 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 23 | 0 | ||
| 2008–09 | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| Wolverhampton Wanderers total | 56 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 67 | 1 | ||
| Sheffield Wednesday (loan) | 2008–09 | Championship | 17 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 17 | 2 | |
| Sheffield Wednesday | 2009–10 | Championship | 46 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 49 | 3 | |
| 2010–11 | League One | 33 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 40 | 4 | |
| Sheffield Wednesday total | 96 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 106 | 9 | ||
| Milton Keynes Dons | 2011–12 | League One | 40 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 49 | 3 |
| 2012–13 | League One | 46 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 55 | 5 | |
| 2013–14 | League One | 29 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 37 | 0 | |
| 2014–15 | League One | 40 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 47 | 2 | |
| 2015–16 | Championship | 37 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 38 | 1 | ||
| 2016–17 | League One | 37 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 41 | 1 | |
| Milton Keynes Dons total | 229 | 9 | 18 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 267 | 12 | ||
| Rotherham United | 2017–18 | League One | 16 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 0 |
| 2018–19 | Championship | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | ||
| Rotherham United total | 17 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 0 | ||
| Tranmere Rovers | 2019–20 | League One | 12 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| Altrincham | 2019–20 | National League | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Career totals | 422 | 17 | 34 | 5 | 24 | 0 | 22 | 0 | 502 | 22 | ||
International Statistics
| Republic of Ireland national team | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Apps | Goals |
| 2007 | 4 | 0 |
| 2008 | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 5 | 0 |
Awards and Honours
Liverpool
- UEFA Champions League: 2004–05 (Winner)
Milton Keynes Dons
- League One second-place promotion: 2014–15
Individual Awards
- PFA Team of the Year: 2011–12 League One
- Milton Keynes Dons Player of the Year: 2011–12
- Milton Keynes Dons Player's Player of the Year: 2011–12
See also
In Spanish: Darren Potter para niños
