Jayson Molumby believes it was important for Albion to experience “a winning feeling” ahead of their 2025/26 Sky Bet Championship campaign getting underway next week.
The Baggies beat Rayo Vallecano 3-2 in an entertaining friendly at The Hawthorns on Saturday afternoon - seven days before the competitive action begins.
And the Irish midfielder, who got on the scoresheet against the La Liga outfit, insisted the match had significance for both himself and the team.
He said: “I’m just happy my goal went in! I’ll take it however they go in.
“It was nice to get a goal today in my second game of pre-season, but more so to get a win.
“It’s nice to get a winning feeling, no matter whether it’s a friendly or a competitive game.
“It was really tough. Obviously, it was the second game for me, I’ve missed a good few games this pre-season.
“I was just happy to get out there and to get 90 minutes under my belt was really important.
“Rayo Vallecano were really good. I think we will find a coiple of teams similar to them this year.
“The first 20-25 minutes, it was tough to figure out how to get close to them. They dictated a lot of the play.
“But we’re getting closer to the season now, the mentality is there to stick with it and grind it out in tough periods.
“It was a good reaction after we conceded the first goal to come back and get on top.
“We’re getting there. Obviously last week (at Lincoln) wasn’t acceptable from all of us, including myself.
“We don’t want to drop our standards but as the games come closer, I think you’ll find that the mentality changes and we get closer to winning games and properly competing.
“We’re getting there and we’re feeling good.
“There’s been a freshness to the environment (under Ryan Mason). Standards on and off the pitch, I feel like he’s there and he’s trying to help.
“He’s been a breath of fresh air and it’s up to us as players now to really have a go and implement what he wants from us this season.
“We’re really excited (for Blackburn). Also a bit anxious as usual, ready to get going.
“For us, it’s a big part of our life. It’s a big part of the fans’ lives, they come every week to watch football.
"We’re absolutely buzzing and looking forward to getting going next week.”
