Bobby Zamora is having fun back at Albion, just like in the good old days.

He was gone for 12 years but Zamora says the strength of spirit in the dressing room has stood the test of time.

He returns with Albion tomorrow to Burnley, where his career in the upper echelons of English football began.

He scored in his first game at Championship level, a 3-1 win for the Seagulls at Turf Moor in August 2002.

There have been many more games and goals in the second tier and the Premier League for Spurs, West Ham, Fulham and Queens Park Rangers.

Nowhere apart from his spell with the Hammers has the feeling of camaraderie been more evident to Zamora than it was back then in an Albion side containing characters like Charlie Oatway and Richard Carpenter and again now.

The names and nationalities have changed, the facilities have improved beyond all recognition from Withdean to the Amex and the Lancing training complex, but Zamora says the club has retained its soul.

He told The Argus: "A lot of the clubs I have been at, whether it is the Premier League I don't know, a little bit of the spirit goes.

"West Ham had similar spirit to here. There were a lot of English lads there. I think a lot of that sort of banter, that sort of thing, is lost when a lot of foreign players come in.

"West Ham's probably the only club that I've played for that probably had that spirit similar to the team when I was here (before). Coming back now, a lot of the same sayings, a lot of the same things are still here.

"I don't know whether I would call it a relaxed approach but a more fun approach, just a jovial atmosphere really.

"There are no outcasts. At a couple of clubs I've been at there are little groups and they almost despise each other a little bit.

"It's certainly not like that here. Everyone seems to be getting on, which is brilliant. It's a breath of fresh air to be a part of it."

A lot of the credit for that, Zamora agrees, goes to manager Chris Hughton and his support team.

He said: "The whole backroom staff, Colin (Calderwood) and Nathan (Jones) and Ben (Roberts), those guys do so much work on the training pitch as well, it's not just the gaffer.

"But Chris is calm, very precise and it's a very, very well-organised club. Everything is laid out, it's not just a walk in and 'I tell you what, we'll do this today' which it is like at some clubs.

"Everything is thought out and you can tell that it has been thought out for weeks in advance. He is a very organised and precise manager."

Zamora, who will be 35 in January, could not have envisaged his second spell at Albion beginning so well.

He was back from a minor Achilles problem as a substitute for the 550th appearance of his career in the victory over MK Dons at the Amex a fortnight ago which extended the undefeated league run since the end of last season to a club record 17 matches.

He has contributed winning goals against Leeds and Bristol City in one start and ten outings from the bench, elevating his overall tally to 85 in 147 games.

"I think we've shocked everyone, ourselves included probably, with how well we've started," Zamora admitted. "We've got a string of tough games now and if the results don't go right then I am sure there will be all sorts of criticism along the way, as you always get.

"But so far everybody has been spot on, the togetherness and everything, everyone has gelled very quickly. There's a long way to go, we all know that, a lot of big games, a lot of good games coming up. We're all looking forward to it.

"I would love to have scored more goals but the way the manager is managing me and my body is spot-on and I think it's the right way to go.

"I want to be involved in every game. If it's ten or 15 minutes then perfect. I don't want to go out there and break down. I'm not saying that I will but the manager is gauging it and so far it seems to be going very well."

Albion face their stiffest test yet at Burnley, where Zamora suffered a 2-1 Premier League defeat with QPR in January. He helped Rangers bounce straight back up after relegation and reckons the Lancastrians, spurred on by a former team-mate at Loftus Road, are equipped to follow suit.

"It's difficult but they've kept a lot of players that got them up in the first place," Zamora said. "They've probably added better players as well, so I would say they are a stronger unit.

"Joey Barton is there now and he is a very, very good player. He will be key to their success this year. I think they will be there or thereabouts, certainly with the sort of spirit and the manager they've got there as well. They have got that spirit where they're going to run through brick walls for each other."

Much like Albion past and present.