LUKE McGee smiles at the suggestion that goalkeepers are a funny breed. "I think we're the most normal out the lot."

But with only one position to play for, there can inevitably be long periods of inactivity.

For City’s latest recruit, that amounted to 13 months in the Portsmouth shadows prior to last week’s competitive return against Scunthorpe.

READ MORE: McGee's driving ambition for Bantams

Whatever the attributes McGee brings to a City shirt, and the first impressions from his opening two games have been impressive, there can be no doubting his mental fortitude.

His previous Valley Parade appearance during Simon Grayson’s brief tenure came towards the end of a season that would see him clock up 50 appearances for Pompey.

By the time, Kenny Jackett’s side were lifting the Checkatrade Trophy at Wembley a year on, he had increased that tally by just five.

And that total had stuck this season until Gary Bowyer came calling.

Watching Craig MacGillivray and then youngster Alex Bass push him out of the number one spot and further down the Portsmouth pecking order could have hammered weaker characters.

The fact McGee never crumpled when even finding himself unable to get on the bench underlines a strong mentality.

“You’ve got to take it on the chin,” he reflected. “You may not think it is right but there’s one person making that decision, the manager, and you have to accept that and get on with your work.

“It’s definitely not easy but there isn’t much you can do about it. You can throw your arms in the air and let your head drop but the situation isn’t going to change unless that someone wants it to.

“So, there’s no point in moaning about it, throwing a strop and sacking it off for a year.

“Do that and then when you do get a chance, you’re going to be a year behind where you should have been. You’ve just got to stay positive and wait for your time.”

McGee was tested every Monday morning in training when the build-up began for the next game – another when he knew he would not be participating.

“You’ve got to do your stuff for the boys first because they are your club and want them to do well. Then you do the bits after for yourself.

“You do sit there and think, ‘I want that to be me’, but then you’ve got to keep it at the back of your mind, ‘it will be me’ somewhere and I’ve got to be ready for when that time comes.”

McGee’s opportunities last season were limited to the EFL Trophy early rounds. But an injury in January curtailed any further involvement as Portsmouth progressed to Wembley success.

“I was in the stands at Wembley watching on. But I felt I’d helped the lads get to a certain stage and then they’d gone on and done well from there, so you can only be happy for them.”

McGee was made available for a summer move but nothing materialised and he found himself with a larger mental barrier to clear this season as the third choice.

He admitted: “It was another test for me and a case of waiting for the right opportunity for myself and for the club.

“That didn’t happen in the summer unfortunately, but I’m pleased with how I handled it over the last year.”

Football is a village and everyone knows each other’s business. Talk of a bad apple in the dressing room will soon circulate but it’s only been plaudits with McGee’s conduct.

“Word can get around very quickly,” he added. “Everybody knows someone at every single club, so it’s pointless throwing your arms and sacking it off at one place because it can hinder you at the next one that might have been a good opportunity.

“There’s no point in killing yourself in that aspect. You’ve got to do firstly what’s best for the club and in the hours after, what’s best for yourself and go from there.”

Richard O’Donnell’s torn hamstring left Bowyer frantically diving into the market. He couldn’t believe his luck to find such a qualified keeper not even making the bench.

“We both wanted to do it straight away,” said McGee, who had seen a potential loan to Cheltenham fall through the week before.

“It was lucky for him but equally so, it was just as good for me. It worked both ways.

"I was thankful for the opportunity and now I want to repay that.

“I’ll just take it game-by-game now, get back into it, pick up some results and do well for the team and myself. First and foremost, it’s about the team and the results.

“Now that I’m here, I’m physically and mentally happy with where I’m at to now go and do a job for the team and hopefully push them on to where they want to go.”