HE will forever be remembered as Newcastle's derby hero, but Michael Chopra last night admitted he could be forced to leave St James' Park in the summer.

With Alan Shearer, Michael Owen and Shola Ameobi all nursing injuries, Chopra is set to complete the best week of his Magpies career when he starts this afternoon's crucial home game with West Brom.

Five days ago, the 22-year-old fulfilled a childhood ambition when he scored within 13 seconds of leaving the bench to kickstart Newcastle's remarkable second-half comeback at Sunderland.

Already, though, he is admitting that strike could prove to be the beginning of the end.

Today's appearance will be his 18th of the season, making this campaign by far the busiest of his four on Tyneside.

But, with Newcastle certain to sign at least one new striker this summer, the Gosforth-born marksman, who is out of contract at the end of the season, is grudgingly setting his sights elsewhere.

"My heart's telling me to stay, but my head's starting to tell me something else," said Chopra, who has also scored cup goals against Dubnica and Cheltenham this term.

"It's a difficult decision to have to make.

"I've come to the stage in my career where I have to think about whether or not I'm going to be playing every week.

"If I'm thinking about staying at Newcastle, I also have to think about who they're bringing in or who they're getting rid of.

"There's no point me staying at Newcastle if they're going to bring in a couple of top-class strikers because I'll find myself in exactly the same position again.

"If that's the case, I might be better off going somewhere else where I can play every week. If I'm playing every week, I'm sure I'll benefit from it."

Chopra has not enjoyed regular football since returning from a season-long loan at Barnsley last May.

He played in Newcastle's first three Intertoto Cup games in July but, despite featuring in Graeme Souness' last three games in charge of the club, is yet to start a match under Glenn Roeder.

That should change this afternoon, with Chopra admitting there were times this season when he feared his Magpies career was already at an end.

"There was a time when I wondered if I had played my last game for Newcastle," he said.

"Partly, that was a result of everything that's happened over the last couple of seasons.

"I've tended to play for a couple of games and then be out of the side for the next five or six.

"But my aim was to work as hard as I could so that I had a chance of playing in the last couple of games of the season.

"I always hoped I could get my chance. I've had it now and, hopefully, I've shown the manager and the chairman what I can do."

If nothing else, the striker has proved he is capable of changing a game from the bench.

Monday's revival might not have happened had Chopra not sprinted behind Steve Caldwell to nudge Titus Bramble's long ball beyond a hapless Kelvin Davis in the Sunderland net.

While he will be hoping to influence proceedings later today, that act could yet prove to be one of his last before he departs for pastures new in the summer.

And, after turning the derby on its head, the childhood Newcastle fan is guaranteed a warm welcome whenever he returns to his home town.

"I've had fans coming up to me all week," said Chopra. "But you expect that if you win against Sunderland.

"Even if you don't score, the fans are still so pleased when they've won that game.

"I grew up in Newcastle and I've always loved the club.

"You just had to look at my face when I scored against Sunderland to see exactly what it meant to me.

"But I have to think about myself as well and we'll see what happens in the future."

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