Aaron Collins dropped down a division to join MK Dons from Bolton last June and was expected to make light work of Sky Bet League Two.
It was for good reason; in 2024/25, he had been named Wanderers' Player of the Year after 19 goals and five assists in 55 games in all competitions.
After a medical in Dubai - at the end of an off-season holiday to Thailand and Bali - he arrived as the Dons' club-record signing. There was excitement to deliver value for the reported £800,000 fee that had changed hands.
It was typical, then, that he would suffer an injury on his debut at home to Oldham on August 2.
"In the first game of the season, I ended up breaking my shoulder," Collins says. "And it should have been a penalty, but I didn't get one for it, which made it even more frustrating!
"I played on as I thought I'd just jarred it, then I had an x-ray on it on the Monday and it was confirmed I'd broken it, which put me out for six to eight weeks.
"It was a kick in the teeth because I had that new club feeling and I was so ready for the new season. I was 100 per cent ready to go and I wanted to play a massive part."
Instead, Collins sat on the sidelines for six league games and the Carabao Cup first-round defeat to Bristol City.
He returned as a substitute in the 1-1 draw away at Chesterfield on September 13, then scored in a 5-1 Vertu Trophy defeat to West Ham's U21s three days later.
But in a training session towards the end of that week, he pulled his hamstring and did not play for another two months.
"I'd never been in that situation before," he says.
"I'd never had an injury that had kept me out for more than a game or two, just things like a kick on the ankle where I'd struggle through the next game. It was mentally draining.
"I thought I could go through my whole career without being injured, but it was going to happen at some point and everything happens for a reason."
There was, though, time to reflect.
"I got to put myself in other people's shoes who had been there in the past and are going through it now. I could never really understand how they were feeling before. To be able to do that was quite refreshing mentally."
Collins' first league start since the opening day came against Harrogate five days before Christmas, and he marked the occasion with a double in a 4-0 win. "The excitement came back," he adds. "I thought this is the time to kick on and show why I'm here."
By mid-February, he had been fit and available for the best part of three months. Injuries were a thing of the past - or so he thought.
He scored what proved to be the winner in a 1-0 victory over former club Newport on February 14, but midway through the second half, within a 10-minute period, he and team-mate Callum Paterson were taken off injured.
Both had suffered ankle ligament injuries and Collins was initially expected to undergo surgery.
"It wasn't nice. It was like something was trying to take the season away from me," he says.
"It was a crucial time with 12 or 13 games to go. Patto's was unfortunately worse than mine, so I needed to make sure I could get back as quickly as possible.
"Thankfully, I only missed two games and had 10 days out. I've worked hard to keep the swelling and the pain away and it's feeling good. All I'm worried about now is making up for the time I missed.
"The main thing has just been being back starting; I feel I can affect the game a lot more when I'm starting. I'm just playing my game, trying to be that focal point.
"Since Patto has gone out, I've needed to step up and fill in, as he was on fire before that.
"I've had in my head, bad luck comes in threes and I'm done! Now I can just concentrate on being back in the team and playing a massive part in getting this team promoted."
Speaking of which, with two games left to play, they are on the cusp. A three-season stay in League Two - the longest in MK Dons' short history - is almost over.
Collins was promoted from this division with Bristol Rovers in 2021/22 and, the night they went up, he ended up celebrating on the top of a traffic light. This time, he jokes, a roundabout is more likely. "There's plenty to pick from round here!"
He adds: "It's a known saying in football that there's no better feeling than promotion.
"I would have spent maybe 50 per cent of this season out injured, but being able to be involved in the other 50 per cent and play my part and be involved in a promotion with 25 to 30 lads is a feeling you cherish forever.
"I still think about the promotion I had with Bristol Rovers. That was probably more unexpected than if we do get promoted here, just regarding the last day and everything that went on. That was more of a shock, an enjoyable shock."
"Here, we've come into form at the right time and we're going into the last games with massive confidence."
Collins will be hoping for less drama next season, but he will not forget this one in a hurry.
Watch MK Dons vs Tranmere live on Sky Sports+ from 12.25pm on Saturday; kick-off 12.30pm