Darren Potter facts for kids
Potter playing for Sheffield Wednesday in 2010.
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Darren Michael Potter | ||
| Date of birth | 21 December 1984 | ||
| Place of birth | Liverpool, England | ||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||
| Position(s) | 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) | |
| International career | |||
| Republic of Ireland U21 | |||
| 2007–2008 | Republic of Ireland | 5 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Darren Michael Potter (born 21 December 1984) is a football coach and former player. He is currently a coach at Milton Keynes Dons. Darren played as a midfielder for 16 years. He appeared in 502 league and cup games. He played in the Premier League and the English Football League. Born in England, he also played five times for the Republic of Ireland.
Darren started his career at Liverpool. He first played for the senior team in August 2004. This was in a UEFA Champions League qualifying game. Liverpool went on to win that competition. 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 for £250,000. 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 relegated from the Championship in 2010. Darren left the club in June 2011.
Darren 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 was promoted from League One in 2015. But they were relegated from the Championship the next season. He left the club in 2017.
He joined Rotherham United in June 2017. He got an Achilles injury six months later. This kept him out until the end of the 2018–19 season. He played for Tranmere Rovers in the 2019–20 season. Darren announced his retirement in November 2020 while at Altrincham. After retiring, he became a coach. He coached at Port Vale, Stoke City, and Milton Keynes Dons.
Contents
Darren Potter's Club Career
Starting at Liverpool
Darren Potter was born in Liverpool. He grew up in the Scotland Road area. He was released by Everton when he was 15. He then spent time in the youth team at Blackburn Rovers. In 2001, he joined Liverpool. He became a professional player for Liverpool in April 2002.
He played his first senior game for Liverpool on 10 August 2004. This was in a UEFA Champions League qualifier. He came on as a late substitute against Grazer AK. He played the last five minutes of the game. He started the next game at Anfield. Liverpool lost 1–0 but won 2–1 on aggregate.
Darren made his Premier League debut on 1 February 2005. Liverpool won 2–1 against Charlton Athletic. He also played in the knockout stages of the Champions League. He came on as a substitute against Bayer Leverkusen. Liverpool won the final against Milan. However, only the players in the matchday squad received medals. He played 10 games in the 2004–05 season.
In the next season, he played in pre-season friendlies. He also played in Champions League qualifying rounds. But he did not play in the Premier League. He made a short appearance in the Champions League group stages. This was in a 0–0 draw with Real Betis.
On 26 January 2006, he joined Championship team Southampton. This was a loan for the rest of the season. He helped Kenwyne Jones score in his first game for Southampton. They won 1–0 against Leicester City in the FA Cup. He played 12 games for Southampton.
Playing for Wolverhampton Wanderers
On 17 August 2006, Darren went on loan to Wolverhampton Wanderers. This was for the 2006–07 season. He scored his first career goal on 16 January 2007. It was the first goal in a 2–0 win against Oldham Athletic in the FA Cup.
Two days later, his loan move became permanent. Wolves paid £250,000 for him. Darren signed a three-and-a-half-year contract. He played 44 games for Wolves that season. He helped the team reach the play-offs. But they lost to West Bromwich Albion in the semi-finals.
His second season with Wolves was not as good. Manager Mick McCarthy offered to let him leave. Darren chose to stay at Molineux. But the club put him on the transfer list after the season. He was later taken off the list.
Time at 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. Darren scored for Sheffield Wednesday in his first game. It was a 30-yard shot in a 4–1 win over Charlton. This happened at Hillsborough on 17 January. His loan move became permanent on 10 July.
He scored his first goal of the 2009–10 season on 22 August. It was in a 4–0 win against Scunthorpe United. His next goal was a left-footed shot against Blackpool on 9 February. Darren also scored a volley against Sheffield United. This was in the Steel City derby on 19 April. Sheffield Wednesday was relegated at the end of the season.
The club found it hard to play in League One. Gary Megson became manager in February 2011. They finished 15th in the 2010–11 season. Darren scored four goals in 40 games. He also received his first red card. This was for a foul in a 5–3 loss to Peterborough United.
Playing for Milton Keynes Dons
On 24 June 2011, Darren signed a one-year contract. He joined Milton Keynes Dons in League One. He was sent off in his fourth game for the Dons. He received two yellow cards in a 1–0 win against Yeovil Town. This happened on 16 August. 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 3–2 on aggregate to Huddersfield Town. Darren 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 55 games. He scored five goals, which was his career high. 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, he signed a new two-year contract. The club was promoted at the end of the 2014–15 season. They finished second to Bristol City.
In October 2015, Darren signed a new contract until 2017. The Dons only stayed one season in the Championship. They were relegated after finishing 23rd in the 2015–16 season. Darren 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 he would leave. He had played 266 games and scored 12 goals over six seasons.
Joining Rotherham United
On 14 June 2017, Darren signed a two-year contract. He joined Rotherham United. He was one of the best players for manager Paul Warne. This was during the first half of the 2017–18 season. However, in December 2017, he injured his Achilles. This needed two operations. He was out of action until the last game of the 2018–19 season. He left the New York Stadium in June 2019 when his contract ended.
Playing for Tranmere Rovers
On 28 June 2019, Darren signed a one-year contract. He joined Micky Mellon's Tranmere Rovers. He played 15 games in the first half of the 2019–20 season. Tranmere was relegated to League Two. This happened after the season ended early due to the COVID-19 pandemic in England.
Short Time at Altrincham
Darren signed a short-term deal with National League club Altrincham. This was on 22 October 2020. He played for them in an FA Cup qualifying loss. This was against AFC Fylde three days later. He left the club in less than a week. He announced his retirement on 17 November 2020. He then became a coach at Port Vale.
Darren Potter's International Career
Darren played many times for Republic of Ireland youth teams. He played in the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship. He made his debut for Ireland's senior team on 23 May 2007. This was in a friendly against Ecuador. The game was in Giants Stadium, New York.
Steve Staunton gave him his debut. He played a total of five games for Ireland. His last game was in February 2008. This was a friendly loss to Brazil at Croke Park.
Darren Potter's Style of Play
Darren Potter was a midfielder. He was good at tackling and leading the team. He was also good at keeping the ball.
Darren Potter's Coaching Career
Darren left his coaching role at Port Vale. He joined Potteries derby rivals Stoke City. He became the Lead Youth Development Phase Coach for players aged 15-16. In May 2025, he left Stoke. He became a first team coach at his former club, Milton Keynes Dons. He reunited with his former Rotherham United coach, Paul Warne.
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
Team Honours
Liverpool
- UEFA Champions League: 2004–05
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
