Potts believes Luton defender Burke has staked a claim for goal of the season with stunning Rovers strike

Full back has transitioned into a centre half role this term
Town defender Dan PottsTown defender Dan Potts
Town defender Dan Potts

Luton defender Dan Potts believes team-mate Reece Burke netted an early candidate for goal of the season following his magnificent strike against Blackburn Rovers on Saturday.

With the Hatters 1-0 up thanks to Carlton Morris’s sixth strike in six matches when volleying home Jordan Clark’s cross just before the hour mark, Burke then took it on himself to double Town’s advantage nine minutes later.

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Following a challenge on midfielder Allan Campbell that saw the ball run loose inside the visitors’ half, Burke picked up possession, strode forward and on his left foot, curled a sublime 25-yard effort past Rovers keeper Thomas Kaminski, who was left grasping at thin air, and into the net for a first league goal since signing in June 2021.

Potts, who was part of the defensive unit alongside Burke that kept a second home clean sheet of the season on their way to an opening win at Kenilworth Road, wrote on Instagram after the contest: “Home win, clean sheet & @reeceburke staking an early claim for goal of the season.”

With Potts now on to 198 appearances for the Hatters, the long-serving defender has seen his position switched this term, dropping into the left sided centre half role in a back three following Kal Naismith’s move to Bristol City in the summer.

Having signed initially under John Still as a full back back in May 2015 after leaving West Ham, 28-year-old has seen Town move from a League Two club to being play-off contenders in the Championship in recent years.

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Boss Nathan Jones insists Potts, who has started every league game this term, named captain in the absence of Sonny Bradley recently, has transitioned well into his new berth too, adding: “He’s definitely a centre back, that’s the way he plays.

"The way we play suits that, he was a left back, but he’s actually evolving now and I think he’s better in that position.

“He gives us real stability.

"He’s been here since the Conference days, we like that.

"We like that he’s evolving with us and he’s stepped up every level and taken his opportunities, so we’re delighted with him.”