AFC Bournemouth
Robbie Brady has had many highlights in his footballing career.
He won promotion from the Championship with Hull City in 2012/13. Two years later, he played in an FA Cup final at Wembley.
He’s played 160 times in the Premier League, scored a free-kick against Chelsea and even netted the winning goal for Republic of Ireland against Italy in Euro 2016 to secure a knockout place.
But playing his part as the Cherries secured promotion to the Premier League will surely go down as one of his most memorable.
Speaking to afcb.co.uk, he said: “I’m delighted to have been a part of an incredible season.
“For me personally, to get down and see the way the management and the staff work here, it was exactly what I needed.
“The attention on fitness was what I needed, not having a full pre-season hampered me a bit but as the season went on, I got fitter and stronger and it was all worth it in the end.”
The 30-year-old had an injury-hit start for the Cherries, playing three times in December before being absent until April.
However, Scott Parker was insistent that Brady would play a role in the run-in and the winger had an unforgettable 25-minute cameo against Swansea City.
Coming on with the Cherries three goals down in Swansea, he linked up well with Kieffer Moore to spark a comeback, his cross leading to the equalising goal, a crucial point in the automatic promotion race.
He acknowledges that he had an off-the-field role to play at times this campaign but was pleased to contribute on the pitch to end the season.
“I’ve been around it for quite a while now so any way I could help, when I wasn’t fit, was fed into the lads, to help them get ready.
“It wasn’t just me personally, there were a number of other lads who played their part when they were involved and when they were not involved.
“The lads dealt with the pressure in the run-in of the season unbelievably, the way they’ve seen it over the line was brilliant from everyone involved.
“I was chomping at the bit when I finally got myself ready and I managed to make a small contribution to pushing the team forward at the end. I’ve really enjoyed my time here and we’ll see how things go.”
Having represented Hull City, Norwich City and Burnley in the Premier League over eight seasons, Brady is well placed to predict how the Cherries will perform next season.
He thinks Scott Parker’s side are more than capable of flourishing in the top-flight, largely due to the attitude he’s seen from his teammates.
He concluded: “I think it’s just getting the morals right, they have that in abundance.
“What’s been fed in by the coaching staff, and instilling the hard work that goes in here, I can’t see any reason why they can’t flourish.
“They’ve definitely got the ability here, it’s just about putting it all together with the mentality that got them up to the Premier League. I’m sure everything will gel and please God, it will be a big success.”
