After signing a new contract with Preston North End, Brad Potts said he’s playing with more of a smile on his face than ever before.
North End’s No.44, whose contract was due to expire at the end of the current season, has agreed a deal which will keep him at Deepdale until at least 2026.
Having been with PNE since arriving from Barnsley in 2019, Brad has made almost 180 appearances for the club and is now a regular in Ryan Lowe’s side.
Pottsy said: “I feel like I’ve been here for years to be honest with you, but I’m not complaining.
“I’ve settled down here now. I’ve been here a while and I’m not the type of person who really likes change so I’m really happy here.
“I think my first couple of years here were probably a bit difficult, but I think since the manager’s come in a lot of people have seen more and more what I can do.
“I feel like I’m probably playing more with a smile on my face than I ever have to be honest with you.
“I want to stay here for as long as I can and that’s why I signed the contract.”
While things couldn’t be going much better on the pitch at the moment – with PNE sitting top of the Sky Bet Championship – Brad’s life has also changed away from football.
He recently became a father, welcoming son Teddy into the world, and the family side of things contributed to Pottsy wanting to secure his future.
He said: “Obviously coming into the last year of your contract can be quite a difficult time if you want to get some security so I was over the moon to get it done.
“I love it here and I’ve never wanted to leave. I think the main thing for me was just to try and get it sorted as soon as possible really, just with me having a little baby boy and things like that, and more just for my family as well, so it just made sense.
“I think it’s a totally different responsibility when you’ve got a little boy. I think the club knew I was happy and settled here, and they made it clear they wanted to keep me, so I just thought why drag it out when we can get things sorted, so that’s what we’ve done and I’m delighted to be here.”
So far this season, Brad has played every minute of Sky Bet Championship football, helping North End start the season with a draw and five successive victories.
With the mood around the place sky high, the 29-year-old sees no reason why he and his teammates can’t continue the form.
Brad added: “We knew before the season started that there were a few tough teams in it, obviously [with good teams] coming down from the Premier League, and I think the teams who have come up have got a bit of quality as well.
“We knew it was going to be tough, so I think no one probably expected us to be top of the league so we might have surprised ourselves and the fans in that way.
“But now we’re here we’ve got that belief and confidence, I don’t see why we can’t carry it on.
“We’ll just try and take it game by game and pick up points as we go, and if we’re not winning it then make sure we’re at least getting a draw.”