Roberto Di Matteo took his Albion promotion-chasers to La Manga in pursuit of warm weather training and some valuable “R&R.”

But he has returned hoping he may have added the extra percentages that can clinch a Premier League place for the club next season.

The Head Coach, now awaiting the return of the remainder of his international troop in the build-up to Saturday’s return to Championship action against Bristol City, seems more than happy with the outcome of the Baggies’ brief escape from Britain’s deepening winter.

Last week’s heavy storms and saturated pitches made even more sense of the excursion, it was ‘down time’ for the players that could prove just as valuable as the marathon season trundles on.

This has worked once before for the Baggies, when Bryan Robson took his collection of newcomers and Gary Megson “left-overs” away during an international break and came back with a team which conjured the remarkable “Great Escape.”

Similarly, this new Albion is an early mix of players inherited from Tony Mowbray, Di Matteo’s hand-picked signings and even, in the case of still settling Simon Cox, a figure picked out by the support staff.

But it is a new cocktail still coming together and Di Matteo appreciates that when the going gets even tougher than it has been so far – as it most surely will – there will be no price that can be placed on camaraderie and spirit.

“Trips like this help people to get to know each other better,” said Di Matteo as he reflected on his week away admitting he is still learning himself about so many faces relatively new to him.

“I’m not sure how much they socialise away from the club but this helps them to get to know each other better on and off the pitch.

“It’s interesting because you see players in a different environment and outside their comfort zone as well. It helps to have different kinds of conversations so you get to see them from a different angle.

“I’ve been away as a player but not as a coach. The main reason was to change location, it’s a change from routine.

“November can be a bad month and apparently it poured down last week here so the pitches would have been heavy.

“We had a session on Tuesday, one on Wednesday, one on Thursday and another big one on Friday.

“But there are so many foreign players now it makes it difficult to mould a team. Before, probably a long time ago, it used to be more family orientated. Clubs would be run by the chairman, maybe along with his family.

“But now it’s a business and more difficult in that sense. There are fewer local players too. And team spirit is important because it can give the team an extra bit of percentage which might make a difference over the season.”

Although he adds ruefully: “We had a good week, we trained well, the weather and pitch conditions were well. It was a good training camp.

“But it will have been a good trip if we win win the next couple of games!”

The Baggies are back to tackle an uncompromising schedule before Christmas that plunges them into battle against all sorts of different challenges.

They will be expected to do well in their next three games, at home to a tough Bristol City but then at the grounds of less consistent performers Sheffield Wednesday and Derby County. Then come fellow challengers Cardiff followed by two upwardly mobile sides so far this season, QPR and Blackpool.

All will value Albion as a scalp which is why Di Matteo stresses the importance of comradeship.

“I wouldn’t just talk about the next few weeks but the next two months,” he adds.

“If you look at the schedule we have until the end of March with hardly any weekends unless we have games on a Friday or Monday.

“It’s game after game after game. Very full on. So we have to be lucky with the injuries and look forward to getting the long-term injuries back.”

* Gonzalo Jara will enjoy the bragging rights over Marek Cech when Albion’s international troop report back for action tomorrow.

Jara’s Chile beat Cech’s Slovakia 2-1 in last night’s friendly in Zilina – with Jara opening the scoring for his nation after just nine minutes.

Stanislav Sestak levelled for the home side in the 17th minute but Colo Colo striker Esteban Paredes scored 10 minutes into the second half to secure victory for Chile, who finished second behind Brazil in South American qualifying.

The two World Cup qualifiers were meeting after Chile’s game against Germany on Saturday was called off after the death of Robert Enke.