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DAN POTTS plans to continue proving he is the daddy at Luton and step out of his father’s shadow.
Hatters defender Potts is among a crop of players to have headed to Kenilworth Road to kick-start their careers.
And they share one thing in common – they carry the family name made famous by their footballing fathers.
Potts Jnr is the son of former West Ham cult favourite Steve, who made almost 400 appearance at the heart of the Hammers defence between 1985 and 2002.
And the father-son duo extends to brothers Elliot and Olly – who also started at West Ham – the offspring of ex-Newcastle and England star Rob Lee.
Potts, 23, said: “It’s funny that a few of the players’ dads have previously played the game.
“I know my father has been a major help to my career and having someone to turn to for advice is so valuable.
Merit
“He was an experienced defender and so he is always spotting ways for me to improve my game. Of course he played in a different era, but defending is an art and it’s the same game.
“The only difference is that he was right footed and I’m left footed.
“People think you might get a leg up as he used to play and knows so many people.
“But actually it makes it harder to prove that you deserve to be somewhere on merit.
“I played with George Moncur, son of John, at West Ham and he thought the same.
“You have to fight for everything and nothing is ever given to you on a plate. You have to earn it.”
Potts played just 13 times for West Ham before moving on two years ago. But his biggest battle has proved off the pitch. Life as a footballer was a world away when Potts was diagnosed at the age of 12 with leukaemia.
He added: “Playing the game was always a dream, but back then it was the last thing on my mind.
“It was just about getting back to normal health.
“I remember I got the clearance when I was coming up to my 16th birthday. I was at the West Ham academy at the time and with the treatment it wasn’t easy.
“But it makes you stronger and appreciate everything. And it inspired my dad to run the London Marathon for charity and he raised £25,000 for Children with Leukaemia.”
Luton boast a proud history of keeping it in the family.
The gene pool of siblings Mark and Brian Stein combined to help the Bedfordshire club lift the old Littlewoods Cup in 1988.
Their top-flight stay ended four years later and their decline began, with Luton’s existence hanging in the balance in 2008 due to money troubles. But under boss Nathan Jones, who jumped out of a plane for charity last season, Luton are flying high.
They suffered play-off heartache last season but the Hatters clearly have a head for heights, sitting just two points off the League Two summit ahead of today’s trip to Cheltenham.
Potts added: “Last season, losing in the fashion that we did, hurt like hell.
Firepower
“But we regrouped and the manager has strengthened our group.
“We are the league’s top scorers and scoring eight and seven in games has been no fluke as we have real firepower in our ranks.
“I think that’s the difference this year and fingers crossed it will get us over the line.”
Ambitious Luton are living up to their billing as promotion favourites and are equipped to kick on once they make the step up.
A state-of-the art training ground opened in February and plans for a new 17,500-seater stadium in the town are in full swing.
Potts, fresh from signing a new one-year extension with the Hatters, added: “The way the club is progressing played a major part in me re-signing.
“Everything is on the up. With our fan base and facilities, we should be looking at the Championship as a minimum target over the next few seasons.”