The Longside Reference

Burnley Manager from Jan 1958 till Oct 1970 

Harry Potts will go down in history as one of Burnley Football Clubs finest, for this there is no doubt.

Potts was one of the Pioneers of Burnley's now famous Youth system, when in 1937 he made his way down from County Durham, in the North East of England for a trial for Burnleys Junior sides, a League game would be contested against Blackpool juniors. Potts gave a performance deemed good enough for Burnley to take a chance, he was given a job at Burnley as part of the ground staff, he would become a Burnley professional later that same year when he turned 17.

Potts as a youngster was turning out on regular occasions in the central league, and but for the outbreak of the Second World War, would have made his Burnley debut so much earlier.

The War years saw Potts stationed in India, serving with the RAF, he would guest for Fulham, Bury and Sunderland during the time of conflict, towards the end of the war Harry was a member of Denis Compton's all star team which toured India, quite an honour.

But with the war over, Harry came back to Burnley to continue his fledgling career, nine years after he signed he was to make his Burnley first team debut, against Coventry City on 31ts Aug 1946. And Potts played his part in the season which saw Burnley take to the Wembley pitch to contest the FA Cup final against Charlton Athletic.

Potts in his first season became top goalscorer, his partnership with Billy Morris was a joy to behold, with Jackie Chew, Arthur Woodruff, Allan Brown, George Bray, Goalkeeper Jimmy Strong, Kippax, Mather and Spencer, Burnley were to bring the good times Back to Turf Moor.

Potts goalscoring would be a major factor in his playing career at Turf Moor, although he didn't make his Burnley debut till he was 25, he went on to become top goalscorer for 3 out of his 4 full seasons, his average was a goal every 3.6 games, 50 goals scored in 181 appearances.

In 1950 while still a Burnley regular, Potts handed in a transfer request, former Burnley manager Cliff Britton signed the front man for his new club Everton for a fee of £20k, Britton lasted just one more season with Burnley after taking them back into the top flight. Potts who had jus turned  30 at Everton didn't have the best of starts at Goodison, with the Toffee men getting relegated that first year.

Everton now down in division two, started to look past Potts, when selecting the team, and with this Potts started coaching the junior sides, until his release in 1956.

He went from Everton to Wolverhampton Wanderers to continue his coaching, but in the summer of 1957, Shrewsbury Town came calling, and Potts took his first steps into football management.

Burnley's proud history would forever have Harry Potts in its mantle, when in February 1958, after the illness of Billy Dougall and subsequent resignation due to ill health, Harry Potts would become Burnley's 4th post war manager after Britton, Hill and Billy Dougall.

The back room at Burnley, like at so many successful clubs was unchanged, this was the case when Potts arrived back at Turf Moor, with Billy Dougall taking up a physiotherapy roll and Ray Bennion who were both there when Potts himself was making his way in the professional Football ladder.

Harry Potts was lucky, he took over a team which oozed class, Although he lost the unfortunate McDonald just a month after he took the reigns, he had Jimmy McIlroy, John Angus, Jimmy Adamson, Cummings, Pilkington the list goes on.

With such good foundations, could Harry take Burnley to the next level? well the answer was a resounding yes!

Sixth place in 57/58 followed by seventh place in 58/59, but this was just th foundations for the greatest ever Burnley side, and the greatest ever period in Burnleys illustrious history.

Champions 1959/60, Potts had done what John Haworth had done 39 years earlier, and to this day they are the only managers to lift the top division championship, while Haworth did this in 1920/21 with the greats Halley Watson and Boyle with the Legend that is Jerry Dawson in goal. Potts and his team will also go down in the list as the greatest Clarets of all time, names such as Jimmy McIlroy, Brian Miller, Jimmy Adamson,John Connelly and Potts himself will become the greatest Ever.

Potts continued to create great teams and take Burnley on journeys we fans can only dream of now, the European Cup taking on such greats as Riems, Hamburg,  the Fairs Cup with such teams as Stuttgart and Napoli.

The FA Cup final were we took part in one of the best footballing occasions of all, all this while continuing bedding in the Youth players, players who signed as kids and made into men, made into Footballers, creating to generate funds for this small mill town club, who were the footballing force all feared, all looked to, all admired, this is all credit to Harry Potts, a man who created a force in football, created Burnley as the front runner for others to follow.

Potts angered all Burnley supporters when he sold one player, not a big deal until you consider that one player was Jimmy McIlroy, although as time has past and books have been released, it was Burnley larger than life Chairman Bob Lord who sanctioned the deal. And Potts was left to carry the can.

Harry Potts wasn't stuck in the past, he knew football was changing after his first signing Alex Elder in 1959 for a fee of £5k, he spent Big £30k on a yorkshireman by the name of Frank Casper, the first time Burnley went out and purchased a player rather than, bring through a youth player to take the mantel, this was in 1968 when money started to flood into football, and with Jimmy Hills "minimum wage" debate, Football became serious business.

In 1970 Harry Potts who had been at the helm for Burnley's greatest times, would step down and allow one time Burnley captain Jimmy Adamson to take control of first team affairs, Potts himself became General Manager.

Potts left Burnley in 1972, and after a small interlude away form football, he took over as manager of Blackpool, it a cruel twist of fate, a twist that always seems to occur in football, it was Potts and his Blackpool side that put one of the final nails in Jimmy Adamson's Burnley career when Blackpool beat Burnley in an FA Cup tie in 1976. Adamson who's Burnley Playing career ended against Blackpool in 1964 his Burnley Managerial ended against the same side. Potts however stayed in the Blackpool hot seat for just 4 more months, and he was sacked along with his youth team coach Ray Pointer.

In July 1976 Potts was reunited with his beloved Burnley when he was appointed as chief scout, a position he held until the following February, where with Burnley just above the relegation places in Division Two, manager Joe Brown was dismissed, and Potts almost 40 years to the day when he first walked through the Turf Moor door, here he was again.

Potts who was there when all in the garden was rosy, would be at the reigns again when all of Burnley were talking, he payed out again to bring back prodigal son Leighton James, and he was the man in charge when he took his Claret n Blue heroes up to Celtic Park, to defeat the former European Champions on there own door step, Potts brought the Anglo-Scottish cup to Burnley.

The sucess of the Anglo-Sottish Cup was his one last hurrah, in 1979 with the worst start to a season ever!  Burnley without a win in there opening 11 games saw Potts replaced by yet another of his former players, this time it was Brian Miler.

Potts who passed away in January 1996, will be remembered as a pioneer, a leader, a manager, a gentleman, a man of honour, a man of stature, a man of Burnley.

RIP, Harry Potts legend in ever sense of the word.