MARC Pugh has vowed not to “just pick up my wage” after admitting not playing in the Premier League “drives me round the bend”.

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.

The 31-year-old last month played an integral role in extending Cherries’ cup run, swinging in a corner for Callum Wilson to head home the winner against Blackburn.

With Ryan Fraser and David Brooks flourishing on the flanks, Bacup-born Pugh admitted he had been “frustrated” not to feature more regularly.

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.”

Pugh first featured for the Dorset club in League One having joined from Hereford for £100,000. He made his debut for Cherries in a 1-0 defeat at Charlton in August 2010.

The former Burnley youngster has played 67 times for Eddie Howe’s men in the Premier League, scoring five times and providing four assists.

“I feel good physically,” added Pugh.

“I have been playing reserve games and keeping on top of things – even if I’m playing right wing-back I don’t mind, as long as I’m out there!

“Sometimes you can go 10, 15 or even 20 games without playing but, when given the opportunity, you have to take it.

“I feel like the more games I get, the stronger I get. I am waiting for my opportunity now.”

Speaking about the victory over the Canaries, Pugh said: “We have to look at the positives. We know our performance wasn’t the best but we are in the hat for the next round.

“We have only had two defeats this season. If you are not playing well and winning games it’s a sign of a good team.”