Former Fulham defender Joe Bryan announced his retirement from football on Wednesday morning.
Posting on Instagram, the left back said: “It’s disappeared in the blink of an eye, but now feels like the right time to bring the curtain down on my playing career. Whilst not the perfect ending everyone hopes for, I am at peace with the decision to retire and move into a new phase of my life.
“I’d like to thank everyone who has supported me through each failure, each success, each setback and each triumph. It has been a truly special journey.”
Joe joined Fulham in the summer of 2018 after a distinguished spell at hometown club Bristol City.
He was a very popular player at Craven Cottage, not just for his contributions on the pitch – which yielded two promotions, five goals, 11 assists, and 117 appearances in his five years here – but off it he was a very down to earth individual, with a dry wit, who rightly earned praise for the candour with which he spoke about his mental health during his time at the Club.
His most famous moment in black and white, of course, came on Tuesday 4th August 2020.
As half-time in extra-time approached in the Championship Play-Off Final, Fulham were awarded a wide free-kick, miles from the Brentford goal. What happened next will forever live in Club folklore, as Bryan whipped in a wicked effort that left the scrambling David Raya stunned.
It was a goal worthy of securing promotion, but it was actually his second that proved the winner. Showing zero signs of fatigue in the 117th minute, Bryan burst forward and played a neat one-two with Aleksandar Mitrovic before sliding a cool low finish under Raya with his right foot.
Cue scenes of bedlam in thousands of Fulham living rooms across the world.
Thank you for the memories, Joe, and all the very best in your retirement. We look forward to seeing you at the Cottage soon.