Burton Albion's players have jetted off to Spain for the international break as the Championship takes two weeks out of a gruelling start to their domestic campaign.
The Brewers headed into the second break of the season on the back of successive 4-0 defeats at the Pirelli Stadium, first to Aston Villa on Tuesday night and then to Wolves on Saturday.
And in the view of boss Nigel Clough, a warm-weather break - no different to many other teams the Brewers will be facing this term - can have its values after those painful losses.
Matty Lund and Tom Flanagan will not be present with the side as they gear up for Northern Ireland's crunch World Cup qualifying showdowns with Germany and Norway on Thursday and Sunday night respectively.
With a tough run of games coming up, including back-to-back away games against the in-form Bristol City and then to Clough's former club Nottingham Forest, the bond between the players is going to need to be as strong as ever.
And it is that, as much as the squad's fitness, that will be given a boost in the Spanish sun.
"It's about the bigger picture," Clough said of the break.
"The international breaks are planned for what we believe is best over the course of the nine months.
"They're training and working out there which is a change for them and working in the warm weather.
"Still one of the biggest factors we'll need is team spirit, and none more so than after the last two games.
"It's an ideal opportunity to build some of that up."
The Brewers' fitness coach, Chris Beardsley, added: "We use the international breaks to the best of our ability in terms of using the days right.
"We will work them this week so they are ready to go against Bristol.
"The next block of games is quite a short one with more Saturday games so we can up the level a little bit and try to keep the lads ticking over.
"We knew at the start of pre-season that the lads would be at different fitness levels.
"On the first day there's always going to be different levels and standards with people playing catch-up.
"In season we have to be a little bit more delicate in terms of how you approach it, you can't give it the intensity as you do in the first few weeks of pre-season."
The Brewers have had a busy start to the season, with trips to Hull City, Middlesbrough and Norwich City in the Championship adding considerable miles to the clock so early into the season.
Add to that three away Carabao Cup draws at Oldham Athletic, Cardiff City and Manchester United, and it's been a hectic busy opening months of a long campaign.
"The League Cup run changed the itinerary quite a lot with the three away trips to Oldham, Cardiff and Manchester United," Beardsley added.
"We have adapted and the club have benefited from it but it's nice to get the lads in on a clear week and do some work with them.
"Hopefully as we go into October we can have a more level playing field in terms of fitness levels.
"It's not necessarily about getting people fit, it's more about keeping them fit for a Championship season which at times is gruelling.
"It's a 50-plus game season, so with our squad we've got to be intelligent and look after the lads the best we can."
