Albion defender Nat Phillips says the good feeling James Morrison's side had in the final months of the previous campaign has carried through into pre-season.
The Baggies' preparations for the 2026/27 term kicked off in the final week of June, with the squad returning to base at The Fitlife Foods Performance Centre following the summer break.
Phillips was a stalwart in his first year at the club, featuring 41 times and scoring three goals in what proved to be a difficult term for the men from The Hawthorns.
However, the final two months of the season proved to be the highlight as Morrison guided his side to safety, largely thanks to a 10-game unbeaten run.
Nat believes the positive momentum built in the Spring has been maintained and says the players are excited to get their teeth stuck into a new beginning.
"It's great to be back," the centre-back stated. "It's nice to see everyone and the good feeling around the place that we had at the end of last season has carried through into pre-season. I think the lads have all missed each other.
"There's a really positive feeling. It's nice that we've managed to hold on to Matt Gill. I think all the lads were desperate for Gilly to stay; I don't think that was a secret. We're delighted that he has.
"And the gaffer has added two more staff members as well in Tony McMahon and also Gavin Strachan, who I knew from when I was at Celtic. They've slotted in seamlessly and brought a lot of energy to training.
"That's set the tone for how pre-season has been so far. Training has been intense, high energy and they've laid down their principles and how they want us to play early on - you can see that in the sessions we're doing.
"It's really exciting to put that into practice with a few games in pre-season."
Away from the club, Nat has enjoyed his first off-season with his baby boy, who is starting to become more mobile and requires a closer watch.
With a smile on his face, Nat said: "The little man is on the verge of crawling, so life is about to get a lot busier! He's 10-months-old and has started lunging for things and all the rest of it, so we've got to keep an eye on him.
"We went to Ibiza for two weeks. It started as a week with my parents, siblings and their kids. My parents went from having no grandkids to having four in the space of two years, so it was nice for us all to be together and for the new cousins to all spend time together.
"When they all left, my mother-in-law came out to spend time with the little one and a couple of friends managed to get out there as well. Holidays to Ibiza these days aren't what you might have expected!
"Otherwise I spent the off-season trying to catch up with friends. I got down to London for a bit and saw family around Manchester before we went away.
"We had a nice time away together, but towards the end I was itching to get back, so it is nice that pre-season has started up now."
Intense training sessions, meeting new faces and lots of running are a part of every pre-season for the players, and a trip away as a squad is always something to look forward to.
Albion will spend a week in southern Portugal in the middle of July, giving the team a chance to bond and prepare for the new campaign away from their usual setting.
They will also play a match against Sky Bet League One side Bromley while abroad, and supporters can buy tickets for the fixture at Estádio da Nora here.
"I think the week away is most important for the time you get together as a team," Nat explained. "You're all living together, we'll be in apartments this year and sharing rooms together, training together, so it's a great time - especially for the new lads - to get to know your team-mates.
"I'm in with Alex Mowatt this year so I can't complain. He doesn't snore and I think he'll be a tidy room-mate.
"On top of that, your life revolves around the training and football entirely. While we're here, of course we focus hard on football, but when you go home you're focusing on family and friends away from football. But for that week, it's about Albion and Albion only."
For Nat and his team-mates, the new season kicks off in the Carabao Cup away at Rotherham United on Saturday, August 8. They will then travel to another side who ended last year strongly, Norwich City, on the opening day of the league term, before playing 2024/25 Championship victors Burnley and last season's play-off runners-up Middlesbrough.
And even with the tough start on paper, Albion's towering centre-back is eager to get the campaign underway.
"I can't wait," the 29-year-old smiled. "It's going to be a good season. It's a really competitive league this year and there are a few unknowns. We've seen that it is always an unpredictable league, but I'm really looking forward to building on what we started with James Morrison at the end of last season.
"We had a solid record in those final games and now he's got a full pre-season to implement exactly how he wants us to play. I'm excited to take that into the new season and hit the ground running."
