'Proud' Potts wants more after reaching 200 games for the Hatters

Luton defender Dan Potts hopes there are plenty more appearances to come after reaching his 200th in a Luton shirt during the 3-3 draw with Huddersfield Town on Tuesday night.

Having signed for the club by former manager John Still back in the summer of 2015, the former West Ham youngster, has seen a lot of things change during his near eight years in Bedfordshire, including the club moving from Ely Way to the Brache, also swapping League Two for the Championship.

The full back turned centre half has been one of the mainstays of the squad in that time, chipping in with 12 goals too, as discussing his milestone, which saw him become only the 72nd player in the club’s history to do so, he said: “I’m really proud, I’ve been here a while, it’s been a long time coming that sort of marker, but it’s flown by.

“It’s mad to think what we’ve achieved over the years, the way the club has developed, but it’s a real proud achievement to make 200 games and hopefully a few more to come.

“I wasn’t quite sure where I was in terms of numbers, but when the milestones do hit you do know about them.

“I don’t think there’s an onus on them, as a player you want to play as many games as you can.

"You know when you have done, you definitely feel it, so to reach 200 is a proud achievement.”

Potts’ longevity at Kenilworth Road is something to be applauded as well, as he remains one of only two players, the other being Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu, who have remained since Nathan Jones took over back in January 2016, going on to make wholesale changes to the squad to ensure Town climbed back up to the Championship.

He remained in the team during Graeme Jones’ stint in charge, awarded another new contract by the returning Jones in the summer of 2021, as Luton began to establish themselves back in the second tier of English football.

On forging a career for himself with the Hatters, Potts, who has two Premier League outings to his name as a teenager when at Upton Park, continued: “There’s been some great lads that have come and gone as well.

“I’ve made some great relationships with people, not just on the football basis, but met some really good people and that’s one thing with this club, players come and go, but a lot of the staff have been here a long time.

"Obviously Sheez (Alan Sheehan) has moved up on to the staff as well, I played with Sheez, I’ve seen it all, the transition from John Still’s time and Ely Way and now to where we are now with Nathan.

"I’m sure when later on down the line when I look back, I’ll have real, real fond memories.

“It’s quite rare now to be at one club for as long as I have, so it shows the manager and the staff have got faith in me and long may it continue.”

Potts’ first league game for the club came in a 1-1 home draw with York City on October 10, 2015, Cameron McGeehan’s second half penalty earning the hosts a point front of 8,618 at Kenilworth Road.

Although they finished 11th in the fourth tier that season, the defender always thought Town had it in them to progress up the footballing echelon, and hopes that climb hasn’t finished just yet, adding: “It’s always easy to drop down a level, or the levels in terms of the football pyramid, but the people I spoke to, especially when I was younger, they always said how hard it is to get back up the leagues.

“For the club to have done what it has done, should never be underestimated.

“Every year has been an improvement, it is a results business but you’ve got to look at the league positions and where we’ve finished and what we’ve done over the years in the Championship.

"That momentum has carried through from the promotions from League Two and League One, that can’t be underestimated either.

"Everyone who has put a Luton shirt on and contributed to that has done the club proud and done themselves proud.

"There’s not many stories like it and hopefully we can go one better as well."