Marlon Harewood has spoken of his frustration during his two years on the bench at Aston Villa saying, "I didn't feel I'd ever get a chance," reports the Birmingham Mail. The striker is two months into a loan spell at Newcastle United and has hinted he would now like to make the move permanent.

The former West Ham target man had an unsettled time at Villa Park, making just eight appearances last season from the bench in the Premier League and claims he felt he needed first-team football at this stage of his career.

"I feel as though I needed to get out of Aston Villa," Harewood revealed.

"I wanted to be playing and I wasn't doing that. I needed to find an alternative, and Newcastle gave me this opportunity."

The 30 year old admits he found himself sliding down the pecking order with the arrival of Emile Heskey and the good performances of Gabby Agbonlahor and John Carew.

"I didn't feel as if I'd ever get a chance at Villa," he said. "They've got a lot of strikers at the club and such good players. I was involved with the squad, but I wasn't getting a game on a Saturday and that's really frustrating after a while."