Brentford’s First Team squad have travelled to Spain for a winter training camp during the Premier League’s break for the World Cup. As ever, Peter Gilham is documenting his time away with the staff and players.

After the cloud and rain of yesterday allied to a drop in temperature, today was totally different, with warm bright sunshine and a blue, near-cloudless sky throughout.

So, whilst it was a fairly regular formatted morning with breakfast, medical prep, travel, gym, warm up and training the stated schedule, the weather put a smile on the faces of everyone from the outset.

As it happens, and is evident to anyone who has observed our First Team and B Team squads from close quarters, whether on matchdays or otherwise, or on and off the pitch, the excellent camaraderie is obvious to all and is an integral part of what Brentford Football Club is all about. So a fine sunny day like today merely embellishes the good feel factor amongst everyone, be they players or staff.

With the weather as it was today, the setting of the Girona FC training ground with a backdrop of a mountain range including distant snow-capped peaks, was beautiful. Indeed the only thing missing at our newly upgraded training ground back home, is such a backdrop, although Osterley Park does its best.

Today of course was the last workout at the training ground, as tomorrow it will host our match versus Bordeaux. Speaking of Bordeaux, it will be good to meet up again with former Bee Yoann Barbet, who played 118 matches for us between 2015 and 2019. Having left us, he signed for another club, before re-signing for the club he started his career with at the start of this season.

Today, as is normal the day before a match, the players had a restful afternoon. However, most if not all, the players and staff watched the World Cup match between Croatia and Brazil.

Directly following the penalty decider, there was an interesting Q&A session which Thomas Frank had organised for the players and staff.

The hotel is the base for an equipment and training facility for a leading professional cycling team whose headquarters are based in Boulder, Colorado. Called EF Education-EasyPost, they are part of the UCI World Tour.

One of their team is Owain Doull MBE, who won a gold medal for GB in the 2016 Olympics in Rio in team pursuit. He, together with Matti Breschel - a former Danish world-class cyclist and now the assistant sports director of the team - were questioned by our very own Michael Caulfield, the Club’s sports psychologist. It meant for an excellent insight into another professional sport and a great addition to the week’s programme.

It was then time to watch the second of two World Cup quarter-final matches - what a game that turned out to be.

It’s proved to be an excellent mid-season camp, and I’m left in no doubt that the players are desperate to get back into action as much as you are looking forward to seeing them again.

All that remains now is a good night’s sleep in anticipation of an English win double on Saturday.

Y asi a la cama!