Last summer, left-back Joe Bryan opted to join Fulham in the Premier League rather than join Aston Villa in the Championship.
From supposedly being chased down the motorway by then-Aston Villa manager Steve Bruce to being relegated with one of the worst teams in Premier League history. It is fair to say that it has an eventful season for Joe Bryan.
Last summer, the then-Bristol City left-back was on the verge of completing a move to Villa Park before recently-promoted Fulham came knocking, a move which he simply couldn’t turn down, as he told One Football.
At that time, Villa were still getting over their play-off defeat to Fulham and near financial capitulation which could have seen them enter administration.
But a change of ownership saw a turn in the transfer market and left-back Bryan was seemingly going to be one of Bruce’s main purchases for the season ahead as he aimed to get the club’s promotion run back on track.
Many months later, Bruce had been sacked from his managerial post at Villa Park and Fulham were enduring one of the worst starts to a Premier League campaign.
Bryan has been a regular feature at the back for the Cottagers, but just like he proved at the weekend against Manchester City, he has found the step up to England’s top-flight very tough.
Over the course of the season, Fulham, who have had three different managers, have conceded an incredible 76 goal – the most from any team in the division and the second worst in England’s top four divisions.
On Tuesday night, it all came to an end when FA Cup semi-finalists Watford put four goals past them to relegate them back to the Championship as Bryan’s season has now ended in disaster.
It would have seemed very unlikely at the start of the campaign, considering where both clubs were at, more so Villa, but if Dean Smith’s side continue in their ways then they may just pass Fulham on their way back to the Premier League.
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