John Brayford says some of his best times in football came with Sheffield United - but he is glad to be back at the place where it all began for him.
Brayford could make his third Burton Albion 'home debut' when the Brewers take on Fulham tomorrow (3pm), having already featured in the recent trips to Leeds United and Norwich City since signing a two-year deal on deadline day.
The versatile defender - who started his senior career with Albion under Nigel Clough , a manager for whom he has also represented Derby County and United - was told he could leave Bramall Lane this summer following their promotion to the Championship.
For Brayford, too, the time was right for a change, he says - and Burton always seemed a natural fit, especially after the impact he made in keeping them in the second tier while on loan last term.
"Overall, the way I look at Sheffield United, I had some of my best times in football there," said the ex-Rams defender.
"I'll always have some great memories from that place.
"In the end, things haven't really worked out - that's just football as well as life.
"It was time to make a change. The way things were last year when I came on loan here, with the lads, and the majority have stayed the same, it's good to be back.
"Hopefully we can try to achieve what we did last year in the same vein.
"My position was made quite clear at Sheffield United early in the season, and it was just a matter of how we could resolve the situation without upsetting anybody or anybody getting the wrong end of the stick.
"You'll probably still get people saying, 'this happened or that happened', but it was just a case of how was it best resolved.
"Typically, it always goes down to the last day as well.
"Don't get me wrong, my position was made quite clear, and then after the year I had last year, Burton was always up there in my possibilities."
Brayford's influence in the Burton defence last season was crucial to Clough's team surviving - a goal they will look to meet again this time around.
And with him returned to the Brewers' backline over the past week, the 29-year-old is keen to make sure the club keeps progressing after a whirlwind few years.
"It's nice to be back, especially having started off here," he added.
"I probably said the same things last year when I joined on loan, but obviously this time, it's a permanent deal.
"It's great to try to finish off what we started last year, keep maintaining the form we had in the league and try to progress the club even further.
Norwich City 0 - 0 Burton Albion
"I had a year left at Sheffield United before my contract was ending there, so to have two years (at Burton) and to try to build something with this club, the way it has progressed over the years, it's great for me.
"Obviously as I've said, it's just about keeping everything going the way it has been going with this football club."
