'I should have been playing' -Why Portsmouth and ex-Millwall striker Aiden O'Brien believes Sunderland's loss is Blues' gain after bright start

It comes after the 28-year-old bagged his third goal in four outings for the Blues in yesterday’s dramatic draw with Fleetwood at Fratton Park.

And the striker explained how he believes he should have been starting games for the Black Cats before his free transfer to Danny Cowley’s side.

The versatile forward started only six league games for the Black Cats this season – but still found goals in limited opportunities.

Before Lee Johnson was dismissed by the north east club, O’Brien had scored five goals in all competitions under his stewardship – including a hat-trick in the EFL Cup victory over Blackpool.

But he explained how he’s enjoying life at Fratton Park, despite feeling he should have been given more chances in red and white.

‘You’ll all probably know now that I’ve backed myself. It’s actually been a rare occasion for me in my time in professional football.

‘I wasn’t playing for Sunderland when I should have been playing, in my eyes. I’m still currently their third top goal scorer there, with the least amount of games. I should have been playing.

‘I’ve come here to back myself and I, obviously, spoke to the manager and he told me “yeah, come, you’ll get game time”.’

O’Brien only signed a deal until the end of the season on deadline day last month – but he’s already eyeing a long-term switch to the south coast.

The former Millwall man has moved his young family down to Gunwharf from the north east – three weeks after his Stadium of Light departure.

And the striker revealed he’s already made his intentions clear to Cowley when it comes to penning a new deal in Fratton.

He added: ‘I said “look, just take me because I like you, you like me, I like the club and I want to play for you. I’ll score goals” and I’ve come here and scored goals. He knows I’m going to stay here for a longer period.

‘Hopefully we can get something done later on down the line. At the moment, we’ve got to concentrate on getting in the play-offs, that’s the priority.’

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