Dan Platt | Exclusive Interview

As the season finale appears upon the horizon, we have two more exclusive interviews over the next 48 hours with two influential Yeltz figures. After our chat with vice captain Reece Flanagan yesterday. Today we grabbed a chat with club  captain Dan Platt to assess his time at the club.

📷 Dan in Action (VS Lowestoft Town - 22nd March 2025)

The Yeltz keeper is in the process of completing his eighth season at the club, and fourth in succession. No doubt a club legend, Platt recently made his 336th appearance for the club against AFC Telford United last Monday, which broke the club record for the most appearances as a goalkeeper. The match meant he moved into the top 10 for all time Yeltz appearances, but he has some way to go to beat Paul Joinson's club record of 650.

The 33 year old made his first Yeltz appearance all the way back in August 2015, and on just his second game for the club achieved his first clean sheet. The man beteeen the sticks has since made 95, three of which came in his 14 matches in the number 9 derby. Platt is on course, and potentially this time next year, to break Phil Coldicott's club record of clean sheets for a goalkeeper of 110.

📷 Dan with a commemorative shirt celebrating his record breaking 336th club appearance

We grabbed a chat with the Yeltz shot stopper to get his thoughts on his illustrious Halesowen career. We also spoke about his current season, his favourite match in a Yeltz shirt, and our upcoming play-off game against Telford.

"It is my 10 year anniversary of my first appearance here at the club this August, and what a time I have had. It has been a long time, and I even remember when we had 150 people at The Grove. To see where we have come over the years is unreal, especially on the pitch, going from step 4 to the step 3 play-offs in the four years of my second stint at the club.

"I was amazed to see how much love I got when I put out the post on Twitter last week about my record appearance. The amount of ex and current players, as well as the fans who commented with such lovely messsages was so heart warming. The fans have been amazing throughout my whole time here. When I knocked four teeth out in a pre-season game a few years ago, they all rallied together and raised money. They have all stuck with me ever since.

"When I first joined the club at 23, I did not expect to be here this long. A lot of players ambition is to play higher up the pyramid. I had opportunities to move, but turned them down because I love it at the Yeltz so much. I look back on my time here with extremely fond memories that I will remember and cherish for the rest of my life.

"My favourite game at the club was no doubt the play-off final against Spalding in 2023. It was a brilliant occasion at home especially as we scored a 90th minute equaliser and late goal in extra time to win it. The squad has changed a lot since, but we still have the same belief amongst the club that we had on that day two years ago. I hope that we can win this year's play-offs and build a new favourite memory.

"In the current season, I feel I have done quite well. A lot of weeks I am a 7/10, but felt I had a blip around the Alvechurch & Stourbridge game in February which was disappointing. The games that have followed I have kept more clean sheets and feel my performances have improved. I may not be as good as some of the lads who get 8 or 9/10 every week, but I am just one of those players who is happy to do their job.

"We enter a play-off semi-final against Telford, which for some of us is one of the biggest games in our careers. As a leader in the dressing room, it is my job to keep the lads focused and ready to put everything out on the pitch. We want to be in the final, but will need to put in the performance of our lives to get there. I hope we see as many Yeltz fans as possible in the away end on Wednesday to cheer us all on, like they have admirably all season."

The full interview with Dan, as well as the full interviews with Ryan Wynter and Reece Flanagan will be available on Radio Halesowen Town's Podcast channels (Spotify, Apple Podcasts & Amazon) tomorrow (29th April)!!!

Dan Platt's Yeltz Career So Far..

Appearances - 337

Starts - 337

Sub Appearances - 0

Appearances as Captain - 51

Clean Sheets - 96

Successive Appearances - 114

Successive Starts - 114

Win % - 43% 

Player of the match awards - 12

Dan Platt's Yeltz Career by Season..

2015/16

Appearances - 28

Starts - 28

Sub Appearances - 0

Appearances as Captain - 0

Clean Sheets - 8

Successive Appearances - 14

Successive Starts - 14

Win % - 50% 

Player of the match awards - 1

2016/17

Appearances - 49

Starts - 49

Sub Appearances - 0

Appearances as Captain - 0

Clean Sheets - 12

Successive Appearances - 26

Successive Starts - 26

Win % - 34% 

Player of the match awards - 1

2017/18

Appearances - 48

Starts - 48

Sub Appearances - 0

Appearances as Captain - 0

Clean Sheets - 9

Successive Appearances - 43

Successive Starts - 43

Win % - 27% 

Player of the match awards - 3

2018/19

Appearances - 35

Starts - 35

Sub Appearances - 0

Appearances as Captain - 0

Clean Sheets - 8

Successive Appearances - 25

Successive Starts - 25

Win % - 17% 

Player of the match awards - 3

2021/22

Appearances - 42

Starts - 42

Sub Appearances - 0

Appearances as Captain - 1

Clean Sheets - 13

Successive Appearances - 16

Successive Starts - 16

Win % - 59% 

Player of the match awards - 1

2022/23

Appearances - 45

Starts - 45

Sub Appearances - 0

Appearances as Captain - 4

Clean Sheets - 18

Successive Appearances - 45

Successive Starts - 45

Win % - 62% 

Player of the match awards - 1

2023/24

Appearances - 46

Starts - 46

Sub Appearances - 0

Appearances as Captain - 46

Clean Sheets - 14

Successive Appearances - 46

Successive Starts - 46

Win % - 45% 

Player of the match awards - 0

2024/25

Appearances - 44

Starts - 44

Sub Appearances - 0

Appearances as Captain - 0

Clean Sheets - 14

Successive Appearances - 25

Successive Starts - 25

Win % - 50% 

Player of the match awards - 2