Life for Jazz Richards changed for ever the night he got the better of Chelsea's Eden Hazard.
The Fulham right-back got a new lease of life that saw him become a wanted man and regain the confidence needed to become a Championship mainstay for the Whites.
Reduced to a bit part at Swansea that saw him get a loan move to Craven Cottage in January, the European qualifier against Belgium on June 12 produced a fabulous 1-0 for Wales, with Richards pocketing Blues' star Hazard all night.
It put Wales on the road to France next year, and Richards back to west London on a permanent deal.
The player admits he felt a bit of a forgotten man until then.
He explained: “Fulham was the only club that wanted me In January. But after that Wales game there were a few clubs interested.
“It definitely did my confidence a lot of good.
“It was difficult to leave the club where I had grown up, but Kit Symons sold Fulham to me, and it helped I knew him from the Wales set-up.
It was hard to make the breakthrough at Swansea. You’ve got someone like Angel Rangel who at the time was the best in the Premier League.
“I would come in and me being young, it was difficult. I would play seven or eight games when I needed to play week in, week out.”
Richards reckoned fate intervened when he got a late call-up to play Belgium in that starstruck game
“I wasn’t meant to be playing that game. I knew it wasn’t going to be easy, but I did well, and it’s gone from there.”
Richards returned to the Whites line-up after injury against Brentford on Saturday (see gallery), and along with his team-mates faces another tough home tussle against Ipswich tonight.
