John Foster Potts is a former English

English people

The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...

 footballer. He was tall and described as 'safe as houses'.

Playing career

Potts played for Blyth Spartans and Ashington Colliery, before getting his big break with Leeds United in 1924. Over the next eight years he would make 262 appearances for Leeds, captaining the club from 1926 to 1933. During this period the club twice dropped out of the First Division

Football League First Division

The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....

, twice coming straight up

Promotion and relegation

In many sports leagues around the world, promotion and relegation is a process that takes place at the end of each season. Through it, teams are transferred between divisions based on their performance that season...

 with a second place finish.

In May 1934, he dropped into the Second Division

Football League Second Division

From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...

 to sign with Port Vale

Port Vale F.C.

Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...

. He kept a clean sheet in his debut match – a 2–0 win over Sheffield United

Sheffield United F.C.

Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production...

 on 25 August 1934. He was an ever-present for the 1934–35 season

1934–35 Port Vale F.C. season

The 1934–35 season was Port Vale's twenty-ninth season of football in the Football League, and their fifth successive season in the Second Division. A positive start to the season raised hope of promotion, however from October onwards the club performed so poorly as to finish fifth-from-bottom...

 and only missed two matches of the 1935–36 season

1935–36 Port Vale F.C. season

The 1935–36 season was Port Vale's thirtieth season of football in the Football League, and their sixth successive season in the Second Division. The club suffered the second relegation of its history...

, for a total of 86 appearances (82 in the Football League

The Football League

The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...

 and 4 FA Cup

FA Cup

The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...

). Despite this feat he was released at the end of the 1935–36 season.

Family

Potts was the brother in-law of the Milburn brothers Jack

Jack Milburn (footballer born 1908)

John "Jack" Milburn was an English footballer who played 408 games for Leeds United. He was also a football manager.-Biography:...

, George

George Milburn

George William Milburn was an English footballer who played for Leeds United and Chesterfield.-Biography:Milburn was a member of the famous Milburn footballing family. His cousin Jackie, known as Wor Jackie, played for Newcastle United...

 and Jimmy

Jim Milburn

James 'Jimmy' Milburn was an English footballer who played for Leeds United and Bradford Park Avenue.He was a member of the famous Milburn footballing clan. His cousin Jackie, known as Wor Jackie, played for Newcastle United...

, who all played for Leeds United.

Honours

with Leeds United

• Football League Second Division
  Football League Second Division
  From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
  
   runner-up: 1927–28 & 1931–32