The Australian's gruelling summer on duty with his national side at the Asian Cup in the Far East and a succession of injuries have limited him to just eight starts for his new club to date.

His double in the 3-1 Barclays Premier League victory over West Ham on September 23, which followed his strike at former club Middlesbrough a month earlier, illustrated his potency in front of goal.

However, the 32-year-old is desperate to rediscover the sort of form which brought him 19 goals in his final season at the Riverside Stadium on a consistent basis, with the Magpies in need of a boost.

Viduka and his team-mates head for Blackburn tomorrow looking for a first win in five attempts, and the frontman is hoping he can make the difference.

He said: "I want to get as many goals as I can under my belt. With every game, you get fitter and fitter, so hopefully it should not be too long.

"I'm very happy to be training and playing as normal. It has been stop-start.

"I had a pretty long summer with the national team - I was away for a long time and I came back here and I didn't really do a proper pre-season with the team.

"It's good to get it behind me and be able to concentrate on some games coming up and just to be involved in the squad.

"I was happy with my form last season and I was looking - and still am looking - to keep on going from there."

Viduka returned to action after a calf injury for the derby trip to Sunderland and played his part in a 1-1 draw at the Stadium of Light.

However, he and strike partner Obafemi Martins found themselves largely peripheral figures last weekend as Liverpool won 3-0 at St James' Park at a canter to leave disgruntled fans calling for manager Sam Allardyce's head.

The pair are likely to team up once again at Ewood Park, with Michael Owen back from his trip to Germany for treatment on a thigh injury but not yet ready to return.

With Shola Ameobi also having got a reserve-team outing under his belt in midweek, Allardyce will eventually have the options he felt would be at his disposal when he arrived on Tyneside.

Service has been an issue in recent weeks, but Viduka remains confident the quartet can make an impact.

He said: "Everybody has got used to each other a little bit more now we have had some time to spend together and hopefully, whoever is playing, we can combine well."

Allardyce will make late decisions on defensive duo Abdoulaye Faye and Steven Taylor, who missed the Liverpool game with hamstring and back injuries respectively, while midfielder Damien Duff is close to a return from a long-term ankle problem.