Conway had turned down several contract offers to stay at Ashton Gate and made clear he felt it was time to move on, admitting now he departed the club “on a sour note”.
With that in mind, it’s fair to say he’s not expecting a guard of honour when he returns for the first time as a Boro player tonight.
But he says he’ll rise above the frosty reception he knows he’s likely to receive and, on the back of Boro’s recent slump, thinks it could be “written in the stars” that his current side get back on track with a much-needed win against his former employers.
“I’ve thought of every scenario,” Conway told BBC Tees ahead of his Ashton Gate return.
“It will be a bit of an emotional one.
“I’d been there since I was seven and the way I left wasn’t really the way I wanted to leave, it was a bit of a sour note. I’ll probably be in for some stick but that’s football.
“I’ll be happy going back to see all the staff, all the players I used to play with. I’ll leave that in the past, forget about what’s happened, and I’ll be the bigger man and move on from that. Hopefully we can get three points.”
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As if tonight’s game wasn’t significant enough already for Conway, the current Championship standings give the encounter even more importance. Bristol City and Boro are separated by just three places and two points, though have been on opposite trajectories in recent weeks, with the Robins having lost just one of their last six compared to Carrick’s side who have lost four on the bounce.
Conway said: “It kind of adds to it for me personally, especially with the run we’re on. It’s almost like it’s written in the stars for us to go out there and get the win.
“It’s one I’m really looking forward to for various reasons, but the obvious one is to get the three points.”
Conway took to social media in the aftermath of last weekend’s Watford defeat, writing: “We feel your frustrations, we really do. We’ll stick together as a team and we’ll put things right.”
Expanding on that post, he said: “I think I speak on behalf of everyone in the changing room and club, we know results haven’t gone our way and we fully understand the frustration of the fans.
“Essentially that’s what I wanted to get out there, we’re all trying very hard every day, we’re working hard to try and get results on the pitch.
“At the minute that’s not falling for us but we’re all good lads, we all want to do well for the gaffer, I’m sure it will turn.
“We’ve come away from games frustrated. That’s the biggest thing.
“You can see the effort being put in, the lads are working hard every day. In the changing room everyone is on the same page, nobody is letting their head drop, everyone is trying to rally each other and we know there’s another big game on Friday where we can put things right.
“For me personally, I think I speak on behalf of everyone, but for me personally it’s my job and it means everything to me that I go out on a Saturday trying to get three points.
“When you lose so many games on the bounce it affects you mentally. You want to show people that it matters and you care about what’s going on. As much as they’re disappointed, so are we. We’re human beings as well and it affects us as much.”
And despite the recent struggle, Conway is convinced Boro’s season is still very much alive and they can get back on track.
He said: “You’ve seen it before with clubs, everyone goes through spells like this and we always come out the other side.
“I have no doubt the tide will turn, we know we’re a good team and when the tide does turn I have no doubt we’ll push back up the league and get to where we want to get to.”
