It was the main part of the session that was the killer. Before, in the changing rooms, a few smiles had broken out, a few laughs at the prospect of me joining in.

If they found it hard, what about me? But there was no time for doing a runner. A circuit drill was laid out, all with the ball, in and out of stationary metal players, cones, sticks, then some sprinting and some shuttle work — four four-minute sessions, punctuated with four minutes' continuous jogging round the circuit.

So a mere 32 minutes to survive — but the special monitors worn by the players showed some heart rates up above 180. Their breathing became heavy.

Despite hurting, burning, running out of breath and all the usual signs that it was more than hard work, I kept going to save face. If I dropped out, I am sure there would be some ridicule on match days in the not too-distance future so I kept going, thanks to the encouragement of players.

They help each other the same way. As one group jogged on the outside looking in, and players found it hard, they offered words of encouragement, trying to get everyone to push themselves to the limit.

Thankfully, many of them included me at different times, offering a pick-me-up to help find that extra bit of energy. Believe me, it was appreciated.

It worked for their team-mates, too, and it was obvious that there is already a real team spirit building up.

As I jogged with Mendes at the new Gedling Town training ground, he pointed out how difficult a week it had been, with constant double-sessions.

But he also pointed to the fact the squad is so much fitter than at the same time last season.

There is real vibe around the place, not just team spirit but true belief about what can be achieved. And that is spreading.

But if this one session was a tenth of what they had done in the week, I dread to think how the players were feeling over the weekend, as they rested their aching muscles.

When the final four-minute drill had ended and the 32 minutes were up, I was ready to drop. But there was a sense of achievement that I had completed it, even if my mobility was zero towards the end.

Had another session followed straight afterwards, the white flag would have gone up.

But it was mission accomplished and it was an enjoyable experience, albeit punishing, to be able to join in with a professional football club.

Control and movement!