The wonderful David Potter – a true one-off | OneFootball

The wonderful David Potter – a true one-off

There are some things you never forget.

David Potter

One year ago tonight, I was having dinner with my wife in St Andrews. Lovely restaurant with an overnight stay, which was a wee gift from one of the kids for Father’s Day, from memory.

As always, our work with the Celtic Star books had been full on. We were in the final days of our summer sale and the hard work had paid off with a very positive response right across our collection. Folk enjoying a read about their favourite Celtic era or player. What it’s all about.

So that evening in St Andrews, the mobile was put away for a few hours. A wee bit of time for us with no Celtic as part of the conversation. My wife often jokes (I think) that if she wants my attention, she has to paint herself green and white and change her name to Celtic. Sadly, that’s closer to the mark than it should be.

Anyway, meal over and I’m doing the admin as she pays a quick visit before we leave the restaurant.

And I can’t help myself, I sneak out my phone. Notice a series of missed calls from The Celtic Star Editor David Faulds and you know how sometimes you just get a feeling?

David Faulds, Mike Maher (over from New Zealand) and David Potter in the Oak Bar ahead of the Champions League match at Celtic Park against Shakhtar

A few minutes later and we’re strolling along the seafront. My wife picks up on the vibe and asks if everything is ok.

“No, I don’t think so.”

“You have to call him back.”

So I make the call and hear the news I think I already knew. David Potter had passed away in the early hours.

That wasn’t meant to happen.

Just a week earlier, I was exchanging emails with him regarding his recent trip to Liverpool, a pretext to see how he was really doing healthwise. David being David, his last note had said that he was looking forward to a tour of Anfield, “even though I don’t like them very much!”

He replied to say that he was struggling a bit with a reaction to his immunotherapy treatment, which had hit him suddenly in Liverpool, but he did add that he had found Anfield fascinating.

My parting shot to him was that once he felt up to it, and if he was at a bit of a loose end, then I could send him some of the chapters I had been working on for my 1930s project, as I would value his input.

That email never did receive a response.

David William Potter was the most incredible man, a real one-off.

You couldn’t really put him into one category and do him justice.

A fanatical Celtic supporter from childhood, thanks to his late father Angus Potter.

A prolific writer, and not just about Celtic although that was something else in its own right. Cricket, drama, the classics, his place of birth and the towns in which he studied and lived. All subject to the Potter treatment and no doubt with that same enthusiasm, which charged you every time you met with him or exchanged comms.

A teacher, perhaps first and foremost from a career perspective. That passion to educate in whatever field.

And of course, a husband, father and ‘Grampy,’ where that hurt will be felt most today on his first anniversary. Our love and thoughts are all with Rosemary and the family.

As a Celtic family, we have been truly blessed over the past three decades or so to have had David living and working amongst us, sharing his incredible stories of players and events with that unmistakeable candour and love. Bringing them to life with his research and putting us in the box seat. His was a quite unique talent.

Over recent years, I had the great pleasure and privilege of getting to know him personally through our work on the books and on The Celtic Star website. That was something else, as to that expertise you could add the most wicked sense of humour. A one-liner that ended the conversation. Different class. He was wonderful company.

The reaction to David’s passing probably said it all, with tributes pouring in from all quarters, a testimony to the love and regard in which he was held. Everyone who ever read a Celtic book, it seemed, could list several of his volumes from their collection, or as their personal favourite. It is a quite remarkable legacy of work and memories which he leaves us.

Last October The Celtic Star invited Rosemary and members of David’s family to Celtic Park for my own book launch for Majic, Stan and the King of Japan.  And thanks to David Potter and one of his own Celtic heroes Willie Fernie, a sum of just over £1200 was raised for the Celtic FC Foundation as once again the Celtic support were putting on the style in the manner that only they can. David would have been delighted with that and that night was also The Celtic Star’s chance to pay our own respects at Paradise to a great friend and colleague.

In May of this year, that effort and contribution was rewarded in the most special of ways, as over 11,000 Celtic supporters in Glasgow’s Hydro arena watched Rosemary Potter pick up the club’s Special Recognition Award on behalf of her husband David, on stage to rapturous applause. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house as Rosemary spoke about how proud he would have been to be recognised in such a way, with three generations of his family in attendance. She did him proud and it was a beautiful gesture from the club. So very richly deserved.

One year down the line it still feels surreal to be speaking about David in the past tense, but he is never far from our thoughts. He touched so many lives. He shaped the website that you are reading at the moment.

There are some people you just never forget.

David Potter was certainly one of those people.

God bless you, DP. Hail, Hail, YNWA…

Matt Corr