SAMMY AMEOBI admits he is at a ‘crossroads’ of his footballing career, and is targeting a 20-goal season on loan at Cardiff City in order to make Newcastle United head coach Steve McClaren take notice of his talents.

Having signed a new contract with the Magpies at the start of last month, Ameobi immediately moved to Wales after signing a season-long loan with Cardiff.

The 23-year-old made his first Bluebirds start on Tuesday evening, and performed impressively as his temporary employers saw off Accrington Stanley in the first round of the Capital One Cup.

His decision to leave the North-East means he will not be able to impress McClaren at first hand as the former England boss looks to make his mark on the Newcastle squad, but having been given assurances that his performances at the Cardiff City Stadium will be closely monitored, he is determined to ensure he does not disappear off the radar over the course of the next nine months.

“I don’t want to come here with the attitude that I’m too good for this level, or that I’m only doing it for me to be able to play every week,” said Ameobi, who has 67 senior appearances for Newcastle to his name. “I really want to push and succeed, and have a great season.

“Then, I can go back to Newcastle and they will say, ‘You scored 20 goals – we now think you’re ready’. If that’s not going to be the case, then they won’t think that.”

Ameobi first broke into Newcastle’s senior side on the final day of the 2010-11 season, but while he has flitted in and out of the side since then, he has been unable to hold down a place as a first-team regular.

He made 15 Premier League starts last season, but had fallen out of first-team contention by the end of the campaign. With his previous contract having expired in June, it had been anticipated he would not be offered a new deal at St James’ Park, but while Jonas Gutierrez and Ryan Taylor were released, he was retained.

That suggests he still has his admirers within the coaching set-up at Newcastle’s Darsley Park training ground, but rather than running the risk of being on the periphery of first-team affairs this season, he jumped at the chance to prove himself away from his North-East comfort zone.

“It’s my home town and I’ve got a lot of love for Newcastle, of course I do, but this was a moment in my career when I felt it was something I needed to do,” said Ameobi.

“I needed to get out and grow up. Being the local kid on the block at Newcastle, it was time to go away and put my stamp on a new club. It was something I really wanted to do.”

Ameobi spoke to his elder brother, Shola, before confirming his move, and was assured a switch to Cardiff was the right decision.

“I talked to my brother,” he said. “We had a family meeting. I just said I wanted to play football, and they were supportive and told me I had to do what I had to do. Even if it meant dropping down a level, I had to do that to play.

“At Newcastle, I wasn’t too sure where I stood with the new manager coming in. So, when the opportunity arose for me to come out on loan, I snatched at it.

“I haven’t really had a full season of just playing football. A lot of it has been in and out, and I’ve had a lot of injuries which have blighted my seasons in the past. Hopefully, I can get a fully-fit season of playing games. That will progress me as a player, strengthen me and make me more resilient.”