David Button expects a hard time on his return to Griffin Park tomorrow night.
And just to make sure the ex-Brentford keeper is under no illusion what he faces when Fulham play Bees in a TV thriller - he’s already been sent a phone pic of himself as a dartboard by Simon Royce.
It’s a joke of course, because Bees’ keeper coach is just winding Button up after his defection to Craven Cottage in the summer.
But manager Dean Smith, like Button, thinks his former player can forget the notion he will be welcomed back.
"I think Roycey has sent him a couple of messages – sent him a picture of him on the dartboard – it was only in jest," Smith said.
"He's a great lad and did brilliantly for me last season and while we're disappointed, we'll wish him well."
Button himself says he is ready for ‘whatever comes my way’ made worse by the fact he will be only five yards from passionate home support in the Ealing Road end.
He added: “Whatever comes my way, I’ll deal with, but that’s part and parcel of football.
“But it was a successful few years for me there and I haven’t got a bad word to say about them, although I’m sure I’ll get a bit of stick.”
The 27-year-old insists he did the right thing by turning down a new Brentford deal to switch west London allegiance as well as interest from Aston Villa.
“At my age, it was important to play week in and week out - but that wasn’t even guaranteed here,” he explained.
“I just felt it would be better for my development and then play in the Premier League with Fulham in the future.”
However, Button diplomatically ducked the question whether Brentford or Fulham had the better potential for top flight football.
After all, keepers are the ones closest to the firing lines of passionate fans.
