Jackson Irvine says he will forever be grateful for the appreciation he received from Burton Albion's supporters and players alike during his time with the club.
Irvine enjoyed a stellar 13 months with the Brewers before leaving to join Championship rivals Hull City in August for a fee that eclipsed Albion's previous record sum received for a player.
The Australian international - who has since made three appearances for the Tigers - swept the board at Burton's end-of-season awards night in April after scoring 10 crucial goals to help fire Albion to Championship safety.
His seemingly endless bursts of energy around the pitch also helped make him a firm favourite among fans at the Pirelli Stadium, with Irvine earning the supporters' and players' player of the season awards.
At that awards night, the 24-year-old gave an emotional speech about how much it meant to be recognised in such a way.
Even five months on, with his first steps at a new club being taken, the dynamic midfielder reflects with huge pride on being able to play a key role in Burton's against-the-odds survival feat.
And it is clearly an experience that meant much to him.
"It was historic - you've got people calling it a miracle," he told SportMail in an interview shortly after his move to Hull.
"It was a pleasure to be a part of it - the players, the supporters, everything we had - against all the odds.
"We just kept surprising everybody, and every time it looked like we were going to fall back down, we just kept on pulling out results and performances in key games.
"Obviously I'm sure there will be people who are disappointed that I chose to leave.
"But I think any fan that supported the team and was there from week to week saw that I'm very much a heart-on-my-sleeve player and I gave everything.
"At the end of the season, when you are rewarded for that by the fans and by your teammates, that's the highest praise you can get in the game.
"And it was genuine, completely genuine (his reaction).
"It is the highest praise you can get from your peers and from the supporters.
"For those reasons, it is difficult to leave, when you know that's the kind of way that people around you view you.
"But that's part of the game. I will look back with extremely fond memories of that season."
Irvine has spoken regularly about his desire to play in the Premier League and how a move to Hull can help take him a step closer to realising that goal.
But the Australian midfielder knows that, should he make it there - which seems a matter of when and not if - the progress he made with Albion will have played a key role, as he moved from a solid defensive midfielder to an all-round midfield dynamo.
"It gave me the chance to express myself and play with a little bit more freedom, which I hadn't really been used to," he said of his time at the Pirelli Stadium.
"The way the team was set up, we had an identity, we knew the kind of team we wanted to be.
"The players around me definitely helped me massively by freeing me up to do what I did and get me into the box and score goals.
"And in the second half of the season, it was maybe a little bit more of a different role, but one I thoroughly enjoyed as well, which was being more involved in the play at both ends when we went to that more defensive shape.
"I think I learned a lot from the league.
Burton Albion 0 - 4 Wolves
"That's what I mean, the club gave me the chance to play at this level.
"Hopefully it's going to be something that propels my career forward."
