Hull v West Brom: A trip sure to stir up some emotion but Ryan Mason will be focused on strictly business
Albion's trip to Hull will surely have a different feeling to it for visiting boss Ryan Mason.
The Baggies head coach, 34, will be as professional as ever and insist otherwise, but he would not be human if he did not feel anything returning to the club with whom his playing career was cut short aged 26.
Hull's MKM Stadium was not the scene of Mason's horrific fractured skull, which occurred in an innocuous incident with Gary Cahill at Chelsea's Stamford Bridge in January 2017, but returning to the Tigers will likely rekindle some memories with the Baggies boss.
Mason confirmed his retirement from playing the following February having said he gave it everything he could to return as a player, but had to put his safety first following advice from world-leading neurosurgeons.
The former England midfielder spoke at the time of his gratitude to the Humberside club, where he was a club-record £10million signing barely six months earlier, for their support and aftercare in the wake of the terrifying ordeal, where he underwent life-saving surgery in London.
He spent time back in and around Hull's training ground and stadium, did light pre-season training that summer while awaiting a second CT scan, but ultimately had to make the tough call and soon turned to coaching.
