Andy Potts
Bio
Community focused sports fan from Northeast England. Tends to root for the little guy. Look out for Talking Northeast, my new project coming soon.
Stories (178)
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You had to be there
This was the soundtrack to Sunday nights. At 6:30 pm, the lights dimmed inside Durham’s Riverside rink. The bass throbbed, an electronic ‘plink’ sent a shiver down the spine. Spotlights swirled, the melody kicked in, and the Wasps took to the ice.
By Andy Potts7 months ago in Writers
Bewitched by the underground
Here's an entry for Annie Kapur's 'Song of the Century' challenge. If you've read any Christopher Isherwood, you might catch a similar mood here (and, btw, Cabaret would be another great song for this challenge). It's incredible to think that it's already nearly 20 years since all this. And equally incredible that it's not even 20 years. Read on, and check out the link to Annie's challenge at the end.
By Andy Potts7 months ago in Writers
Mine's a pint: The Pele
Some days you could just murder a pint. And some days, you can storm a medieval fortification to get one. The Pele at Corbridge, once a mini-castle for the local vicar, is now one of Britain’s most unique micropubs. First built in 1315, the tower has centuries of history on tap; you can find stonework here dating back to Roman times, when the settlement of Corstopitum grew up near a bridge over the Tyne. It’s not hard to see how those pieces of history gave the village its name.
By Andy Potts9 months ago in Proof
The snake and the seeker. Top Story - June 2025.
“Coming! Ready or not!” Trouble is, I’m not ready. Not for this. When they drew the snake, I took too many guesses. My count was huge. And we always play hide-and-seek in the dark. That was what we called it, often hyphenated, sometimes even rushed into a single word: hidenseekinnadark.
By Andy Potts9 months ago in Fiction
The Bench
This review was originally written for The Reviews Hub. See here for the original. Translating sport onto the stage is a thankless task. It’s impossible to top the natural drama of last-gasp goals and underdog triumphs without veering into cliché. The Bench, which begins a month-long tour of northeast England this weekend, manages a discreet nod to the tradition with one plot device, but wisely ensures that the action takes place far away from the field.
By Andy Potts9 months ago in Geeks
William Martin, Marratide: Selected Poems
“I draw a snake upon your back ...” It’s one of many lines derived from children’s games that lives on in William Martin’s poetry. Yet it also leapt of the page when I read it in Anna Marra Missa, one of the verses included in Marratide, a newly-published anthology to mark Martin’s centenary year.
By Andy Potts9 months ago in BookClub
Mine's a pint: The Oxford Bar
Where would literature be without the pub? Chaucer’s pilgrims set off for Canterbury from a London tavern. Shakespeare had Falstaff declare that “thin drink doth overcool their blood” when complaining of a “sober-blooded boy” who “drinks no wine”. Writers around the world have found cause to hail the ale, or lament its deleterious effects.
By Andy Potts11 months ago in Proof
Family football
As this statue outside the Stadium of Light suggests, football is a family affair. My love of the game, and especially of Sunderland, my hapless hometown team, was nurtured by my father. Although he was never a die-hard, seen-every-game-since-he-was-in-nappies kind of fan, he was the man who introduced me to the game. Watching Football Focus together on Saturday lunchtime, resuming in front of the TV to see Final Score, then walking to the corner shop together to buy the Football Echo, distinctive pink newsprint and the miraculous condensation of the day’s action in your hand barely an hour after full time.
By Andy Potts12 months ago in Cleats
