Considerable skill and experience was added to the Tigers midfield ranks when 31 year-old Bryan moved to the KC Stadium in July 2007 following the completion of his contract at Charlton Athletic.

Born in Liverpool, he burst on to the football scene in January 1994 when he made his debut for Wrexham as a 17 year-old.

His first-ever senior goal came in the Dragons' 2-2 draw against City at the Racecourse ten months later.

Bryan soon became a regular in Brian Flynn's team and assisted the club to a Welsh Cup Final victory against Cardiff City.

Further career-changing cup success followed in 1996-97 when he played a major role in the Second Division outfit's run to the FA Cup quarter-final.

A goalscoring performance in the 3-1 Fifth Round win at Birmingham City proved especially significant as, before the end of the season, he had moved to St Andrews in a £750,000 deal.

Bryan had demonstrated his potential shortly before the move by being selected for the Football League's Under-21 team against Italy.

In nearly 300 appearances for Blues, with 42 goals, he played an essential part in their Play-Off winning season in 2002 and City's first two seasons in the Premiership.

After rejecting the offer of a new contract, Bryan decided to sign a three-year deal with Charlton Athletic in July 2004.

Arguably his most notable achievement came in the 2005-06 season. He was directly responsible for Chelsea's first defeat at Stamford Bridge under Jose Mourinho - calmly converting the winning penalty in a dramatic shoot-out to knock the holders out of the League Cup.

At The Valley, he totalled 74 Premiership appearances including 24 in last season's traumatic relegation struggle.

The highlight of a troubled campaign came with a last-minute winner against Aston Villa in the final game of 2006 to clinch new boss Alan Pardew's first victory in charge of the Addicks.

Having fought off competition from Premiership and Championship rivals, the Tigers now have the advantage of Bryan's services on a three-year contract.