Ben Nugent: Crewe's 'toughest day's training', says Alex defender

Ben Nugent was left carrying the baggage on Crewe's bonding day in the Lake District

Crewe's Ben Nugent says they need to show the same togetherness on the park that they showed on a team-bonding day in the Lake District this week.

The Alex defender was part of a team exercise that involved intensive, military-style training at a boot camp high above Windermere.

"It was a great experience," he said. "It took us out of our comfort zone.

"We had to be together to help each other through it. Now we have to show that same togetherness in games."

Summer signing Nugent told BBC Radio Stoke: "We now have to apply some of what we learned. Apply some of those principles in training and make sure we turn up for one another."

Crewe's sticky start
Steve Davis' Crewe are 23rd in League One, having picked up just five point from their first eight matches. They earned home draws with Port Vale and Bury before winning last weekend at Shrewsbury

The 10-hour bonding experience at Cassius Camps, Graythwaite Hall, on the Grizedale side of Windermere, started with on 05:30 BST pick-up at Crewe.

But it came at a psychologically good time following last Saturday's 1-0 win at Shrewsbury - the Alex's first win of the season.

And Nugent said they will not fail for lack of fitness in Saturday's tough trip down the M6 to face second-placed Walsall.

"I've never worked as hard," said the former Cardiff City, Brentford, Peterborough and Yeovil player. "It was the toughest day's training I've ever had. A 3km run, then an assault course, and it escalated from there, military-style stuff, tyres, press-ups, a bit of kayaking, swimming.

"It exercises parts of the body you don't normally use. We were aching in places the next day that we'd never felt before."

Crewe midfielder Harry Wilson and defender Ben Nugent (back) were paired together in a kayak

Stephen Kingsley and George Ray took part in a press-up session in the Lake District