Darren Potter

Darren Potter

Personal information
Full name	Darren Michael Potter
Date of birth	21 December 1984
Place of birth	Liverpool, England
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Playing position	Midfielder
Club information
Current team	Milton Keynes Dons
Number	8
Youth career
	Everton
	Blackburn Rovers
	Liverpool
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps^†	(Gls)^†
2003–2007	Liverpool	2	(0)
2006	→ Southampton (loan)	10	(0)
2006	→ Wolverhampton Wanderers (loan)	40	(0)
2007–2009	Wolverhampton Wanderers	56	(0)
2009	→ Sheffield Wednesday (loan)	17	(2)
2009–2011	Sheffield Wednesday	96	(8)
2011–	Milton Keynes Dons	174	(8)
National team
2007–2008	Republic of Ireland	5	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 23 January 2016. † Appearances (goals)

Darren Michael Potter (born 21 December 1984) is a professional footballer who plays for Milton Keynes Dons as a midfielder.

He is a former Liverpool schoolboy captain who hails from the Scotland Road area of the city^[1] and is a full Irish international.

Club career

Liverpool

Born in Liverpool, Potter is a central midfielder who is a product of the Liverpool Academy. He started out at Everton before transferring to Blackburn Rovers and then, Liverpool. He made his senior debut for the Reds on 10 August 2004 as a substitute for Steve Finnan in a UEFA Champions League qualifier against Grazer AK, playing the last five minutes, and the whole of the return leg at home. In total, he made 10 appearances in the 2004–05 season, mostly in cup competitions. He featured in Liverpool's run to the 2005 UEFA Champions League Final, coming on as a substitute in the round of 16 home tie against Bayer Leverkusen.^[2]

The following season, he was involved in pre-season friendlies and the Champions League qualifying rounds but did not feature in the Premier League. Instead, he saw league action on loan at Championship side Southampton, during the second half of the season. He joined Southampton on loan in January 2006, making a total of 12 appearances, remaining with the club until the end of the season.^[3]

Wolverhampton Wanderers

He returned to Anfield in the summer but was swiftly loaned out again, this time to another Championship club, Wolves, for the 2006–07 season. After impressing, the move was made permanent in a £250,000 three-and-a-half-year deal during the January 2007 transfer window. Potter scored his first and only Wolves goal in the FA Cup against Oldham Athletic on 16 January 2007.^[4]

His second season with Wolves was less successful though, and manager Mick McCarthy offered him the option of going on the transfer list during the January transfer window to seek more playing time at a new club.^[5] Potter rejected the offer and remained at Molineux for the rest of the season, however the club transfer-listed him at its conclusion.^[6] After finding no takers for him during the Summer transfer window, he was taken off the transfer list and told to fight for his place.^[7]

Sheffield Wednesday

He failed to appear for his parent club during the first half of the 2008–09 season, and joined Sheffield Wednesday on loan in January 2009, remaining there until the end of the season. Potter scored for the Owls 16 minutes into his debut against Charlton with a 30-yard drive into the bottom corner.^[8] He also hit the bar from a free kick in the 4–1 win.

He signed for Sheffield Wednesday in a permanent deal on 10 July 2009 for an undisclosed fee.^[9] Potter scored his first goal of the 2009–10 season on 22 August in a 4–0 thumping of newly promoted Scunthorpe United. His next goal was to be much later on in the season with a left-footed curler in the bottom corner against Blackpool at Hillsborough on 9 February. Potter added to his tally for the season with a volley against Wednesday's fierce rivals Sheffield United in the Steel City Derby on 19 April. Potter left Hillsborough on 23 June 2011 by mutual consent.

Milton Keynes Dons

On 23 June 2011, Potter signed a one-year contract for Milton Keynes Dons. He was given the number 8 shirt. On 21 February 2014, Potter signed a new two-year contract extension.^[10]

International

Potter has been capped multiple times for Republic of Ireland youth teams – appearing at the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship^[11] – and later made his debut for Ireland's senior team in a friendly against Ecuador in Giants Stadium, New York on 23 May 2007.^[12]

Career statistics

As of 4 April 2015.

Club	Season	League			FA Cup		League Cup		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Liverpool	2004–05[13]	Premier League	2	0	1	0	4	0	3[lower-alpha 1]	0	10	0
	2005–06[14]	Premier League	0	0	0	0	1	0	6[lower-alpha 1]	0	7	0
	Total		2	0	1	0	5	0	9	0	17	0
Southampton (loan)	2005–06[15]	Championship	10	0	2	0	0	0	—		12	0
Wolverhampton Wanderers	2006–07[16]	Championship	38	0	3	1	1	0	2[lower-alpha 2]	0	44	1
	2007–08[17]	Championship	18	0	3	0	2	0	—		23	0
	2008–09[18]	Championship	0	0	0	0	0	0	—		0	0
	Total		56	0	6	1	3	0	2	0	67	1
Sheffield Wednesday (loan)	2008–09[19]	Championship	17	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	17	2
Sheffield Wednesday	2009–10[20]	Championship	46	3	1	0	2	0	0	0	49	3
	2010–11[21]	League One	33	3	2	1	2	0	3[lower-alpha 3]	0	40	4
	Total		96	8	3	1	4	0	3	0	106	9
Milton Keynes Dons	2011–12[22]	League One	40	2	3	1	3	0	3[lower-alpha 4]	0	49	3
	2012–13[23]	League One	46	4	6	1	3	0	0	0	55	5
	2013–14[24]	League One	29	0	3	0	3	0	1[lower-alpha 3]	0	37	0
	2014–15[25]	League One	31	1	4	0	2	0	1	0	41	1
	Total		149	7	16	4	10	0	5	0	179	11
Career totals			290	15	26	5	21	0	19	0	363	21

1. Appearances in UEFA Champions League
2. Appearance in Football League Championship play-offs
3. Appearances in Football League Trophy
4. Appearance in Football League Trophy, 2 appearances in Football League One play-offs

References

1. Potter hoping to become Reds' new wing wizard Mark Platt 26 July 2005. Retrieved 21 September 2014.
2. "Liverpool 3–1 Bayer Leverkusen". BBC Sport. 22 February 2005. Retrieved 14 August 2009.
3. Chalk, Gary; Holley, Duncan; Bull, David (2013). All the Saints: A Complete Players' Who's Who of Southampton FC. Southampton: Hagiology Publishing. p. 434. ISBN 978-0-9926-8640-6.
4. "Oldham 0–2 Wolves". BBC. 16 January 2007. Retrieved 5 November 2009.
5. "Potter rejected chance to leave". BBC Sport. 26 February 2008.
6. "Wolves have end-of-term clear-out". BBC Sport. 9 May 2008.
7. "Stearman call makes it a record". Express & Star. 3 September 2008.
8. "Owls sign Wolves' Potter on loan". BBC Sport. 15 January 2009.
9. "Owls Swoop For Potter". wolves.co.uk. 10 July 2009. Archived from the original on 12 May 2012.
10. "Potter pens new deal". Milton Keynes Dons FC. 21 February 2014.
11. FIFA World Youth Championship 2003 Retrieved 21 September 2014.
12. "Under 21 - 2005/2006 Squad Profile". FAI. 20 March 2006. Archived from the original on 9 April 2008. Retrieved 21 September 2014.
13. "Liverpool 2004/2005 player appearances". Soccerbase. Retrieved 21 September 2014.
14. "Liverpool 2005/2006 player appearances". Soccerbase. Retrieved 21 September 2014.
15. "Southampton 2005/2006 player appearances". Soccerbase. Retrieved 21 September 2014.
16. "Wolves 2006/2007 player appearances". Soccerbase. Retrieved 21 September 2014.
17. "Wolves 2007/2008 player appearances". Soccerbase. Retrieved 21 September 2014.
18. "Wolves 2008/2009 player appearances". Soccerbase. Retrieved 21 September 2014.
19. "Sheff Wed 2007/2008 player appearances". Soccerbase. Retrieved 21 September 2014.
20. "Sheff Wed 2009/2010 player appearances". Soccerbase. Retrieved 21 September 2014.
21. "Sheff Wed 2010/2011 player appearances". Soccerbase. Retrieved 21 September 2014.
22. "MK Dons 2011/2012 player appearances". Soccerbase. Retrieved 21 September 2014.
23. "MK Dons 2012/2013 player appearances". Soccerbase. Retrieved 21 September 2014.
24. "MK Dons 2013/2014 player appearances". Soccerbase. Retrieved 21 September 2014.
25. "MK Dons 2014/2015 player appearances". Soccerbase. Retrieved 21 September 2014.

External links

• Darren Potter career statistics at Soccerbase
• LFCHistory.net profile