Ross McCormack: Nottingham Forest's on-loan striker admits faulty gate stopped him training

Ross McCormack (left) scored for Aston Villa and Henri Lansbury got a late equaliser for Nottingham Forest when the two teams met at Villa Park in September

Ross McCormack has admitted he missed training at Aston Villa because his electronic gate was stuck but says reports manager Steve Bruce jumped a fence to confront him are false.

Villa disciplined the Scottish striker more than once for failing to attend training, with one excuse that a faulty gate prevented him leaving his house.

McCormack, 30, moved to Nottingham Forest on loan following the incident.

"The fence was taller than me and I'm not 4ft 6in," McCormack told BBC Sport.

"It was icy and raining. What if I'd rolled my ankle?

"It sounds far fetched but the gate was stuck... I had to wait for the company," he added.

McCormack claims that some newspaper accounts of the story have not been 100% accurate.

He told BBC Radio Nottingham: "Some of the things have been a bit over the top, borderline embarrassing. It gives the press free rein to make up sheer lies.

"The stuff about the gaffer jumping the fence and us having a blazing row is complete nonsense."

But he did admit that Bruce made a personal visit to McCormack's house to check out the facts.

"He came round to have a look at the gates," said McCormack. "He didn't stop. He didn't get out of the car.

"You don't get much signal in the house so I was standing at the top window on the phone trying to get it fixed and I've seen him pull up and drive away."

Fresh start for McCormack

After falling out of favour at Villa following criticism about his general state of fitness, McCormack is now keen to have a fresh start at Forest.

"I'd spoken to a few clubs but nothing got agreed with Villa," he said. "Then I got a call late on Tuesday and I was straight into the car, straight to the Villa training ground and straight up here to Nottingham to do the medical. There were no second thoughts whatsoever."

Having officially signed just a minute before the January transfer window closed, the experienced Scot must wait until an away game at Norwich on 11 February for his debut, as Forest host Villa on Saturday (17:30 GMT) and he is not allowed to play.

McCormack added: "It's always good to play at a stadium where you've scored a few goals. I think I've scored in nearly every game I've played against Forest.

"I've still got three and a half years left on my contract, so I'll be going back to Aston Villa at the end of the season and we'll take it from there.

"All the criticism, the fat, the fitness and all that - it's ludicrous. I'm 4-5kgs lighter than when I got in the team last year at Fulham.

"But I'm big enough and definitely ugly enough to take it. When I have played, personally I have not been good enough. Now it's up to to me to come out and do what I've been doing over the past four or five years."