VCR video cassette won't insert

Could not insert a cassette tape in this vintage VCR video player, explaining the issue repair fix and talking a bit about cassette not being ejected and other features of these units

[@Peppermint1]

I ended inserting a thick piece of plastic under the circuit board by the sensor bracket - this slightly bent the circuit board and caused the sensor bracket to tilt slightly so the sensor moved closer to the metal bar in front of it. At this point the VCR player would take the cassette inside every time. The issue was the sensor was sitting too far away from the moving metal bar of the cassette tray, and was not detecting it