Shane Duffy admitted it has been a 'long year' as he capped a long-awaited return to the AMEX by helping Brighton to a 2-0 victory over Watford on Saturday night.
The Republic of Ireland defender seemed likely to leave the club this summer, having previously fallen out of favour under Graham Potter.
He lost his father in May 2020 and then endured a difficult loan spell at Celtic last season.
But following the departure of Ben White – and with both Joel Veltman and Dan Burn out – he has returned to the starting XI with two fine displays to start the season.