Former Reading player Jo Potter took to Twitter to formally announce her retirement from football after more than two decades in the senior game. Potter was one of nine players to see their contracts expire back in June of 2020 for Reading and whilst most players found themselves new clubs, it seemed incredibly quiet for the midfield maestro.
Potter was something of a journeywoman as she rarely spent more than a year at most clubs, such is often the way for women’s football, certainly, in the early 2000s, when there was little guarantee of a contract lasting more than a year.
Between 1999 and 2020, having played for Chesterfield, Sheffield Wednesday, Birmingham City on three separate occasions, Arsenal, Charlton Athletic, Everton, Leicester City, Notts County and finally Reading.
Potter consistently found herself in the England squad at youth level including qualification for the 2003 European Championship finals however she was marred by injury on more than one occasion. A seven year break saw her miss out on Euros and World Cup qualifiers but she once again found herself in the squad and this time it was a senior callup.
She travelled to Japan alongside the likes of fellow Royal, and England all time goalscorer, Fara Williams, as well as Fran Kirby, Karen Carney, Laura Bassett and current captain Steph Houghton for the 2015 World Cup, where the team finished a historic third place.
Potter settled into her latter years of playing when she joined the Royals in 2017, along with her Notts County team-mates Jade Moore and Kirsty Linnett after the Magpies were folded. She made 46 appearances whilst at the club with a no-nonsense style play, she always looked as though she had more time on the ball in the midfield than others.
She will be expected to move into some sort of coaching role having previously done so whilst playing for Sheffield Wednesday.
