Bournemouth midfielder Marc Pugh is desperate for more first team action.

The stalwart winger has not featured in Cherries' matchday squad in 10 top-flight games this season.

Pugh completed his first 90 minutes of the campaign during Tuesday's 2-1 Carabao Cup fourth-round victory over Norwich City.

He told the Daily Echo: “You have to be mentally strong. When you are running on a Saturday morning and the lads are due to play a Premier League game, you're thinking 'I could be out there, I want to be out there'.

“You don't want to just pick up your wage as a player. You want to be playing football and that's the most important thing to me.

“I will never get used to it. It drives me round the bend when I'm not playing but I never take it home.

“I have a great family who support me and, if I'm not playing, I enjoy the weekends with them and work hard during the week.

“Football is a massive part of my life but my family keep me grounded. There is a lot more to life than worrying about not playing, although you get really frustrated when you are either watching or training on a Saturday.

“You want to be out there scoring goals and winning games.

“It's like any job – if you work all week and don't get a sale at the end of it, you're annoyed.

“I know it's difficult for the gaffer, he has some great individual quality and we are playing really well at the moment."