Hull City captain Curtis Davies says last season revived his career.
Davies has enjoyed a superb first season at the KC Stadium by skippering the Tigers to Premier League survival, leading them to an FA Cup Final showdown against Arsenal and being voted City's Player of the Year.
Davies, 29, said: "Getting back to the Premier League was crucial to my career because, had it not happened, I think I would have ended up rotting.
"And that would probably have led to me becoming a little bit disillusioned with the game.
"However, my move here has given me a new lease of life. I have come to Hull and I am thoroughly enjoying my football again.
"The way we have performed as a team this season has been very satisfying for everyone involved. Many people in the game wrote us off before a ball had even been kicked.
"That's never nice, although, in some ways, it helped us as there were no expectations outside of our own club.
"But we definitely deserve our place in the top flight again next season after the performances we have put in this time around.
"This is a truly fantastic club, and it has been a privilege to be part of the team here.
"Losing 3-2 to Arsenal at Wembley was, of course, a disappointment. But staying up and getting to the FA Cup Final has been a fantastic achievement for the team."
