Chris Mepham: I feel good after a very disrupted summer

Having been sent off in the Championship play-off semi-final second-leg defeat at Brentford in May, Mepham headed off to represent Wales at Euro 2020.

The 23-year-old played a key role for his nation, completing the full 90 minutes in three of their four matches, including the loss to Denmark in the round of 16.

Due to the late finish of his season, Mepham was granted extra holiday time along with the rest of the international squad members.

It was initially hoped he could link up with Scott Parker's squad for part of their training camp in Marbella, but that did not materialise.

Mepham therefore played no part in pre-season and could not feature against Milton Keynes Dons in the Carabao Cup due to a suspension carried over from his red card against Brentford.

However, Parker instantly threw him back into action, ahead of youngster Zeno Ibsen Rossi, for the Championship opener against West Brom.

Mepham came through the whole contest alongside Lloyd Kelly in the 2-2 draw and he is pleased to be back in club action again.

The Hammersmith-born ace told the Daily Echo: "Yeah, it’s been a very disrupted summer. But the most important thing is I’m back now, I feel good.

"I know I haven’t had the friendlies, I missed out on them but physically I feel good.

"For me I’ll only get stronger the more games I play, the more exposure I get to these kind of games. Fitness-wise I’ll get there, definitely."

Asked if he feels the disappointment at Brentford is now firmly behind him, Mepham added: "I think the Euros was the perfect opportunity for me to do that.

"Obviously on the biggest stage there is out there, going away and getting some real good game time on the big stage for me helped soften the burden.

"It was obviously horrible the way last season ended, but it’s a new season. It’s a new season for me, it’s a new season for everyone and hopefully it’s a successful one individually and as a team."