Roberto Di Matteo today tipped new signing Gonzalo Jara to add a feisty edge to Albion as they prepare to resume their Championship promotion bid.

The Baggies are preparing for Saturday’s meeting with Reading with their fingers crossed their Jara will return from international duty in time to figure.

And Di Matteo is backing the Chilean to add something new to the side after he refused to take a backward step in the hard-fought draw at Preston.

Jara filled a holding midfield role and was involved in a fierce Deepdale tussle with former Baggies midfielder Richard Chaplow.

And Di Matteo said: “As I said before we signed him, he is a versatile player who can play at full-back and in central midfield as well.

“He looks quite comfortable in all those positions.

“He does look a bit feisty and that’s good. He has a bit of South American blood and I think we could do with that.”

Jara is hoping his flight home from South America, where he is on duty with Chile, gets him back to England in time to face the Royals.

But he and Albion were today handed a warning that they have designs on another famous away win on Saturday.

They won at third-place Preston before suffering defeat to Middlesbrough and winger Jobi McAnuff says the Deepdale success will give them belief as they head for The Hawthorns.

McAnuff said: “It’s always disappointing when you go into a break on the back of a bad result but, at the same time, we’ve got to use it to our advantage.

“We’ve had a bit of time to reflect and work on things over the international break and hopefully we can get a good result on Saturday.

“Preston were third in the table and unbeaten at home when we went up there and won. We can do it again but we’ve got to take responsibility as players, go out there and play and get some results.

“No-one is going to do it for us. We’ve got to grab the bull by the horns.”