It takes more than a flat tyre on the first day to puncture Ross Hannah’s excitement.

The City new boy’s introduction to professional life could hardly have been less glamorous.

Having only flown in from holiday at 6.30am, he grabbed half an hour’s kip and then headed off to start training.

But he hit tyre problems after driving over some glass outside Valley Parade – and trying to replace it with a spare, his jack snapped!

Some players might have read the omens but pumped-up Hannah didn’t allow his enthusiasm to deflate like his rear wheel.

After all, the 25-year-old has been so keen to get involved that he bought himself a football on holiday.

He said: “I’ve been itching to get going since I signed. The time kept dragging, even on holiday.

“I knew I’d be a bit behind (in fitness) anyway, so I did a bit of running while I was away. And the first thing I bought was a ball.”

News of the Carling Cup dream trip to Leeds only added to his impatience. Hannah found out the draw on the morning he was jetting off to Turkey.

He said: “Obviously I want to take one step at a time. I need to impress the gaffer first and get in the team.

“But then you’re looking at games like that in the first week of the season. I can’t even begin to think what it will be like.

“A crowd of 25,000 at Elland Road is a bit different from playing for Matlock in front of 400 people.”

Hannah admits his new life with City has not sunk in yet, saying: “It will probably be around the Bolton game when I’ll start thinking ‘this is it’.”

But the transition from part-time to full-time player has been smoother than he anticipated. It has helped that new team-mates David Syers, James Hanson and Steve Williams have followed the same route.

The barriers that may have been there a decade ago have been lowered as more clubs delve into the lower leagues.

Hannah said: “It can be a bit intimidating walking into a new dressing room because you wonder if people will be thinking about where you’ve come from. I’ve been to places where that’s been the case and it’s horrible.

“But they weren’t like that here. Everyone made me welcome and it feels like I’ve been here ages now.

“It still takes some settling in but the lads have been better than I could have hoped for.

“There are some lads who have been in my position. They know where I’ve been and how hard it is at the start.

“It shows you how good the standard in non-league football has become because there are more and more people making the jump. It’s good to see.

“Even at the top level you’ve had Ian Wright and Kevin Phillips and now DJ Campbell. When you think about it, there are a lot of players making it.

“I remember watching Campbell against Newcastle in the FA Cup and he played really well. That game made him.

“It goes to show that playing league football and doing well is an achievable aim.”

With 89 goals in the last two seasons, it is no surprise that Hannah has plenty of faith in his ability to follow that route. An occasional obstacle along the way won’t stop him.