I DROVE from Yeovil to Tavistock, just outside Plymouth, yesterday morning to catch up with the Derby County squad.

Derby had beaten Yeovil the previous night in the first of three matches on their tour of the south-west and an activity day had been planned for the players and staff.

They had already started when I arrived at The Adventure Centre next to Kelly College, so I went to reception to ask their whereabouts.

The lady behind the desk said: "Walk to the end of the driveway and you will hear the screams!"

She was right.

Wearing safety helmets and life jackets, they were being asked (probably forced in some cases) to plunge into a cold weir and then make their way through an air pocket underneath a fast-running waterfall.

Next up was a 20-metre tunnel full of water, with barely enough room to crawl through.

A few of the players viewed it with trepidation, others went for it.

Jay McEveley appeared to take on the role of instructor.

"Go through on your side ... or on your back," he shouted to his team-mates.

Fellow full-back Paul Connolly needed no encouragement.

He seemed to enjoy the dark, water-filled, claustrophobic tunnel and went through three or four times.

"It's not Benidorm water park, Connors," said the club's head of communications, Matt McCann, who took a turn in all the activities, although there was often a look on his face as if he was thinking, "Why am I doing this?"

Paul Green and new signing Shaun Barker stood shivering as Connolly came through the tunnel again.

"You've got to make the most of it," grinned the skipper.

The coaching staff of Gary Crosby, Andy Garner, Johnny Metgod and Martin Taylor also took part.

"I've done some odd things in pre-season but nothing quite like this," said Taylor. "But it's good for the lads. It gets them together."

Recalling pre-seasons from the past, Garner said: "I went to an army camp with Lincoln City one pre-season – that was just hard work."

But the activity day was not just about having fun. There was a purpose.

Such days are ideal for team-building. The players encouraged each other and worked in groups. You could feel the spirit within the squad growing with each burst of laughter.

"You cannot put a price on this," said manager Nigel Clough.

"It's great for team spirit and togetherness. The players will be laughing and joking about this for days."

Once dried off and having warmed up again thanks to a welcome cuppa – a cold Robbie Savage seemed to cuddle his cup rather than drink it – the players took part in sessions on the high ropes and trapeze before they showed their archery skills.

They also participated in some problem-solving tasks that required mental agility.

One involved manoeuvring a group of seven players across a course of oil drums with only three planks of wood to assist them.

If a player touched the ground, the team were disqualified. The groups were timed.

"They have to think about this one – it should be interesting," smiled Clough.

The group I watched consisted of Connolly, McEveley, Steve Davies, Luke Varney, Stephen Pearson, Mark Randall and McCann.

"It's painful to watch," said Clough as the players became stranded on two of the oil drums, balancing precariously and trying to work out where to put the next plank.

They eventually completed the course.

"Did we do it in a good time?" they asked in unison.

"What, three days!" chirped Davies.

Cue more laughter – and the squad tightened as a unit.