Having been part of the West Ham squad that won the UEFA Europa Conference League last summer, Freddie Potts has his eye on another trophy celebration this weekend, with Peterborough standing in the way of Wycombe Wanderers and Bristol Street Motors Trophy glory.
The young Hammer has impressed while on loan at the EFL League One outfit, and a Wembley bow - with kick-off set for 4.30pm on Sunday 7 April - now awaits, which could cap a superb campaign.
Hoping to repeat the feat of a Potts success at Wembley from last season - where Freddie’s brother, Dan, scored the winning penalty to take Luton into the Premier League - the West Ham United U21 midfielder is excited for the challenge ahead. He has got reason to be, too.
So far this season, Potts’ first loan could not have gone much better. He has made over 30 appearances across all competitions and has cemented his place in the starting XI under Wycombe boss Matt Bloomfield. He is learning plenty about his game ahead of a return to West Ham this summer.
While fellow Hammer Gideon Kodua is cup-tied for the final, having played in the meeting between Wycombe and West Ham’s U21s at the last 16 stage, Potts is firmly in the mix to take to the Wembley pitch.
The young Hammer is nervous as expected but could not be happier with his start to senior football, as he explained ahead of Sunday’s fixture…
We are all excited about what is ahead, and our full focus is on Wembley.
Since the semi-final, and beating Bradford in February, we’d be lying if we had said we’ve not had an eye on this game. You are feeling the nerves and the pressures, but right now I am excited. It is a massive opportunity for me as a young player to play at Wembley during my first loan.
At the start of the season, if you had told me I would have played over 30 games with Wycombe and gone to Wembley for a final I wouldn’t have believed you!
I am happy that I have got a manager here that trusts me to play, and my teammates have helped me settle in so quickly as well. Matt [Bloomfield] has been great for me this season. He has given me a lot of confidence, and it is good to have that backing and communication from the gaffer that he trusts you a lot. To have that, especially ahead of this weekend, is so important. It means I am not going into that with any fear or nerves. I am ready to go and ready to play.
The build-up will be nerve-wracking, of course.
Some of the group who have played at Wembley before [Wycombe won the EFL League One Play-Off final 2-1 against Oxford United in 2020, and lost to Sunderland in the same fixture in 2022] have told me when you’re on the pitch just play your game. We have a confident team, and in every game that we have gone into we have always thought we can get something out of it.
I am following Dan, my brother, who played at Wembley last year!
It was a different occasion, with Dan playing in a Play-Off final to get to the Premier League, but it was great to be there and be around the stadium because you get a feel for what it means to the fans to play there. Dan scored the winning penalty that day, but hopefully we don’t need them on Sunday!
Moving on loan was tough at the start because you’re a youngster and it’s your first loan, so the fans are going to be a bit sceptical of you.
I had it in the back of my mind that I had to earn that trust and I knew I could play and adapt to this level, so as the season went on I improved. The more I have been in the starting XI they’ve started to warm to me, and I have started to warm to them.
If it comes to it and we win the game, yeah, we will celebrate well!
I am trying to build up to it as a normal game as much as possible. There are nerves, but that is good because it shows that you care.
