Life turned full circle for Romaine Sawyers when he joined West Bromwich Albion in the summer of 2019.
The midfielder, who joined the Potters on a season-long loan deal in 2021, launched his career as a trainee at The Hawthorns but failed to earn the first-team recognition he craved.
Instead, he got his first taste of senior action in the Potteries in a loan spell with Port Vale followed by similar moves to Shrewsbury Town and Walsall.
Dean Smith had been his manager at Walsall and the pair reunited at Brentford in the summer of 2016 as Sawyers moved to Griffin Park in a permanent deal.
West London proved to be a happy hunting ground for Sawyers who made more than 150 league and cup appearances over a three-year spell, scoring 19 goals.
He was named in the PFA Team of the Year for League One at the end of the 2015/16 season and was runner-up in the PFA’s Player of the Year poll behind Gillingham’s Bradley Dack.
Sawyers rejected Brentford’s offer of a new contract at the end of the 2018/19 season and when West Brom offered him a second shot at playing a starring role at The Hawthorns, he jumped at the opportunity.
It proved to be a wise decision; he made 43 league and cup appearances in the 2019/20 season as the Baggies secured promotion to the Premier League by claiming the second automatic promotion spot.
Last season Sawyers clocked-up another 23 appearances for Albion but having found himself out of favour at The Hawthorns at the start of 2021/22 he made the switch to the Potteries.
An established international for St Kitts & Nevis, he has scored five goals in 27 senior appearances for the West Indian island country.