Romaine Sawyers reaping the benefit of trip

But it is to Romaine Sawyers – and the early indications are both he and the Saddlers will reap the benefits.

Back in the team following his break to play for St Kitts and Nevis in the Caribbean Cup, the 22-year-old forward looked a man transformed against Preston on Saturday.

An uncertain start to the season had seen him become a scapegoat for certain fans' frustrations.

But Sawyers was back in the kind of form which convinced manager Dean Smith to hand him a two-year-deal at the back end of last season and effectively build his forward line around the former Albion youth teamer.

Most importantly, Sawyers scored – ending a near eight-month goal drought in club football. The goal also set the Saddlers on their way to a first victory of the campaign.

And he is quick to highlight the importance of his temporary change of scene. "The break was a massive help," said Sawyers.

"I felt refreshed coming back last Wednesday, I came into training on Thursday and I felt sharper, I felt ready.

"I think you could see in the game on Saturday – it almost felt like I was back to my old self, whereas to that point I had not been the Romaine I wanted to be this season."

Sawyers, who had England, Costa Rica and Jamaica to consider when weighing up his international options, also picked out the importance of his goal in St Kitts' 5-0 win over Dominica in helping to rebuild his confidence.

"It was a good experience out there, a good feeling," he said. "It is a different type of game to playing in England, it is a lot more laid back and not as 100mph as here.

"It is good to get a break away from it, to go there and refresh my body and so forth and then come back. Hopefully I can do this more often."

Sawyers is expected to return to the Caribbean next month as St Kitts compete in the second round of the tournament but the immediate priority is pushing up the League One table.

He knows the euphoria of Saturday's win will be quickly forgotten should the Saddlers slump at Spotland tonight. On a personal level, Sawyers is keen to follow up his own performance.

While the forward often attempts the extravagant on the pitch, off it he is quiet, thoughtful and brutally honest when summing up his below-par start to the season.

After his substitution in last month's home defeat to Yeovil was greeted by ironic cheers, Sawyers took to Twitter to acknowledge his poor form and says he will never shy away from criticism.

"I would only be lying to myself and giving myself false hope if I wasn't honest about performances like that," he says.

"I know I did not play to the standards I set for myself and I will accept constructive criticism any day of the week because it will only make me a better player.

"I was disappointed and I can voice that. But then Saturday was a real positive and I will look to kick on from here."