I saw my brother play for Portsmouth, now I've followed in his footsteps: The West Ham footballing dynasty relocated to Fratton Park
As a child, Freddie Potts hazily recollects visiting Fratton Park to watch his older brother represent Pompey - now the midfielder’s following in his footsteps.
It’s approaching 11 years since Dan Potts arrived on the south coast in a short-term loan from West Ham to bolster an ailing League Two side.
Under fan ownership, Richie Barker’s side were languishing 18th in the table, prompting the recruitment of the highly-regarded England under-20 left-back in November 2013.
The 19-year-old’s spell lasted merely a month, consisting of five matches and no wins, yet his younger brother would accompany his parents to Fratton Park to cheer him on.
Now history has repeated itself more than a decade later, with another member of the Potts family turning out for Pompey, having arrived on a season-long loan from the Hammers.
Freddie told The News: ‘I remember watching my brother at Fratton Park, I can’t remember the games because I was so young, but I recall making the drive down.
‘I was very, very young at the time, probably aged eight. Watching him play over years was a real eye-opener, I was cheering him on and learning as well. I ended up becoming a part-Luton fan because of his time there.
‘When I told my brother of Pompey’s interest, his first reaction was “Wow”. It’s such a good place to go, everyone knows Pompey belong above League One - and he was excited for me.
‘How the club was at the time doesn’t cloud my brother’s affection. Every club you go to, you look back on with positive memories and it’s the same with him about Pompey, even though he wasn’t here for a long period of time.
‘He gave me some good advice at the club - and the Championship too. It wasn’t too long ago when he was playing at this level with Luton.
‘After his time here, he always found Pompey a difficult game. It hasn’t changed, they were the toughest opponents I played against last season with Wycombe.
‘It was a no-brainer for me, I just thought this would be the perfect place to go.’
The 21-year-old enjoyed an encouraging debut for what also was his Championship bow, before coming off in the 61st minute after understandably tiring.
It represents another important career step for the sons of Steve Potts, the Upton Park legend who represented the Hammers a staggering 506 times.
Freddie added: ‘Yes, I am a massive West Ham fan! I joined when I was five and signed professionally when aged 17.
‘I went to games at Upton Park to start with, then it was the transition to the London Stadium. I love it there.’