Hatters defender Potts happy to carry on his pre-season purple patch at Turf Moor

Town defender Dan Potts was happy to see his purple patch from pre-season carry on when getting Luton up and running for the campaign during their 1-1 draw at Burnley on Saturday.

The full back had scored in both pre-season games against Hitchin Town and Northampton Town, the first firing into the bottom corner from outside the box, the second a close range finish after Alfie Doughty’s cross wasn’t cleared.

At Turf Moor, with Amari’i Bell doing superbly on the left to fashion a crossing opportunity, it had initially been just too high for the leaping Potts to make a connection, but with Elijah Adebayo’s misdirected header repelled just before Luke Freeman could pounce, the loose ball fell invitingly for the former West Ham man to easily beat Arijanet Muric and find the net.

Speaking afterwards about both his and the Hatters’ first goal of the campaign, he said: “I got a couple in pre-season, it’s just one of them, especially in that position.

“I’ve got a license to step in a bit more, set-pieces, I’ll always back myself to get on the end of them, and where I can chip in I’ll always try.

“I just said to Cauley (Woodrow) and Carlton (Morris) in there, it was a striker’s dream really.

"If fell so nice, the eyes lit up and there was only one place I was putting it.

"I thought we started the game really well, the three lads in the middle of the park were all over them like a rash and gave us the onus.

"We started on top, got some set-pieces, got some throw-ins and that was where the goal came from.

"That’s the one problem when you do go ahead early, then the ball’s in the other teams court, ‘right what can you do to break us down and get the reply?’

"I thought we handled it well first half and then it was just a shame to concede so early on in the second.”

After arriving at Kenilworth Road in May 2015, Potts gradually made a name for himself as a player with an eye for goal, off the mark in the 3-2 League Two play-off semi-final first leg defeat at Blackpool in May 2017.

He bagged an impressive seven the following season as Town won promotion to League One, but in and out of the side in recent years, his last goal had come in the 1-0 win at Birmingham in February 2021.

Potts continued: “It doesn’t matter where you play on the pitch, it’s always nice to score, always nice to contribute to the team.

"But we’ve got that in the team, got goals everywhere, so hopefully many more.

“That wasn’t something we worked on, put it that way.

“It just fell for me nicely, when you’re in that position, just a little bit of composure, put it away, and go on from there.

"I should have scored straight after as well, so a bit disappointed.”

Boss Nathan Jones knows the long-serving defender has always been a goal threat, as he said: “He does, in the box, he attacks it well and he’s done fantastically well for us in every division.

"He came in League Two and scored goals, he’s done well for us in League One and continues to do so in the Championship.”

Potts, who is now up to 12 goals in 190 appearances, would have backed himself to make it 13 in Town colours moments later, but rising highest to meet Freeman’s corner, he didn’t get the right connection, the ball ending up deflecting off a defender and over.

He added: “Sonny (Bradley) just collared me there, he said I should have scored two.

"I said ‘I know,’ I just completely missed the ball, but we can’t be too harsh on ourselves.”