BURNLEY manager Eddie Howe showed just how much he wants his players to ‘raise the baa’ this season, by taking them on an alternative team bonding session.

The Clarets boss organised a sheep herding exercise for his squad and staff during a midweek break yesterday on their pre-season tour of Bath.

The players were kept in the dark about the trip until they arrived at Folly Farm near Bristol, where they were split into two groups and tasked with rounding up 10 sheep and securing them in a pen in the middle of a one-acre field.

Some thought ‘ewe must be joking’, but ‘Raising the Baa’ is proving a popular team-building exercise all over the country, and manager Eddie was ready to ‘dip’ his toe into it.

In his group young forward Alex MacDonald and experienced defender Michael Duff took the shepherding lead.

A club spokesman said: “It was a really good exercise in being a leader and really good fun. I think the players got a lot out of it.

“They had to work as a team to get the sheep into the pen and the manager was pleased that they did that.”