It took Ricky Ravenhill less than a fortnight to decide that City were the best club for him.

But then anyone who has seen the bulldog midfielder in action will know he is not one for hanging about.

As the player who sets the team tempo, according to Phil Parkinson, Ravenhill makes snap decisions and acts on them.

His ‘in yer face’ approach is how Parkinson wants his side to operate, not giving opponents time or space to breathe.

Ravenhill, who was 31 on Monday, was happy to jump straight in and commit his future to Valley Parade – even if the move from Notts County meant dropping down a level.

He said: “There were no misgivings at all. Once I realised what the gaffer was trying to do here, then I had no doubts about it.

“When I came here (on loan), I knew of the club’s stature but they were on a bad run. I was not quite sure about things. But I only needed to be here a week or two to realise where the club want to head.

“We’ve turned things round to an extent but this is only the beginning of it. There is a long way to go yet and I really want to be part of it.”

Ravenhill celebrated his freshly-inked contract with the opening goal in last week’s draw against Morecambe. It was an eventful afternoon for him, beginning with an injury scare during the warm-up and finishing as an emergency right back – watching in despair at close quarters as Kevin Ellison levelled in added time.

That frustration, like the swelling in his ankle, has passed as Ravenhill prepares to go again with Burton’s visit tomorrow.

He knows the importance of another bright home display in front of the City fans and said: “We want to keep putting in good performances to encourage them and show that we are in business now.

“There’s no point looking too far ahead at the moment. We’ve got to get away from that bottom end before we can start looking upwards.

“Maybe we’ll have a look at it in another month’s time and decide if the play-offs are too far off to have any realistic crack at them. But whatever happens, come next season we’re going to have a really good go.”

Ravenhill has got the knack of winning promotion from the fourth tier, achieving it with home-town club Doncaster the year after helping them out of the Conference and then with Notts County in 2010.

“This league, more than any other, is about winning the second ball, turning people round and playing percentages,” he said.

“If you’ve got that bit of quality – as we have in abundance – then you won’t go far wrong. But you’ve got to run round and work hard before you expect to achieve anything.

“Shrewsbury came here and they are a brilliant footballing team. But they looked poor on the day because we got in their faces and unsettled them.

“If you’re not having a good game, you can still run about and tackle people. That doesn’t change.

“Football doesn’t just happen. Even in the Premier League, you’ve still got to work to earn the right to play your game.

“You need that bit of flair and the good players who are going to provide the goals as well. But it’s about getting the right blend.”