Thursday 2 February 2017 15:43, UK
Ross McCormack admits he is glad to be away from Aston Villa after sealing a deadline day move to Nottingham Forest.
McCormack conceded the end of his stay at Villa Park had been tough to deal with and he is looking forward to the chance to prove himself with Forest, with whom he will spend the rest of the season on loan.
Among McCormack's troubles was a recent issue when he failed to make it in for training, blaming problems with his electric gates at home, and there was no surprise when that story came up in his first press conference as a Forest player on Thursday.
Asked about the event now known as 'Gate-Gate', the Scotland international said: "It's a true story, honestly. Listen, I'm not a kid, I know how it sounds. But there were factors to it.
"At Villa, if you had a problem, you phone the doctor in the morning. So I called the doctor about 10 to 15 minutes before I would normally leave to warn him I might be running a bit late.
"It was never anything from me saying i wasn't coming into training. Just that I was going to be a bit late until I got the gate fixed.
"I was supposed to go in to training, but by the time the guy had come in and fixed the gate, it was about 4pm. I rang the club and told them I could now get in, but they said don't bother - we'll see you tomorrow."
McCormack remained fairly coy on his relationship with Villa boss Steve Bruce, terming it just "okay" and said he had no idea if he would ever turn out for the club again.
He added: "The manager said what he felt he needed to say. I've got other opinions that I will keep to myself. As I say, it's been a tough time for me. Personally, but I'm out the door now which is something the club wanted, and it suits me too.
"I'll go back there in the summer. You never know in football, it's been pretty bleak situations before, and then all of a sudden it changes. I've no doubt I can still make the grade at Villa, I've proved that in the past.
"My confidence was all over the place if I'm honest. I'd play 65 minutes and then be pulled off, and not get a chance in the next game. But I've not had it easy in my career. I've had to work hard to get all I've got. I don't need to prove anything to anyone else. I just need to prove to myself that I can still do it, as I have in the past."
Ironically, Forest's first game since McCormack's arrival is against Villa, so the 30-year-old will have to wait until their trip to Norwich on February 11 for his debut.
He is keen to impress his new employers and possibly earn a permanent move in the summer, or perhaps secure interest from elsewhere if his future turns out to be away from Villa Park.
"I'm desperate to get back on the goal trail, I've only scored three goals this season, which isn't good enough," McCormack added.
"It's been tough - that price tag, and walking into that dressing room. It's a massive, massive club. Up until I got injured against Brentford, there was a stat that I'd created more chances than anyone else in the League. Which is decent seeing as I'd gone there as a striker but was being used as a number 10."
