Ambitious Steven Caldwell is hoping his Bradford City loan spell will help him fulfil his ambition of regular first team football and develop his Scotland career.

The 21-year-old Newcastle defender, signed on a month's loan to help City over their injury crisis, has become increasingly frustrated with reserve team football at St James' Park.

So he jumped at the chance to play regular first team football at Valley Parade and made his debut in the 3-1 win over Rotherham United.

With Robert Molenaar suspended and Peter Atherton and David Wetherall long term injury victims, manager Jim Jefferies needed reinforcements and Caldwell responded with an impressive first match.

He joins City for a critical period of the season with high-profile matches at Manchester City and Coventry to come followed by Sheffield United and Crystal Palace at Valley Parade in Christmas week and a visit to leaders Burnley on New Year's Day.

He said: "I was keen to come to a big club like Bradford. I hope to play a few games and see how it goes.

"I'm not saying I want to leave Newcastle, but I want to play first team football.

"I am good enough to play for Newcastle and hope to prove that while I am here, but, if not, I hope it opens a door for me somewhere else.

"I think I should be in the first team at Newcastle. I think I am better than the players that are there, but I have got to prove that.

"Bradford signed me on loan and I want to repay that faith by my performances on the park.

"Bradford's a big club and can certainly go back into the Premiership.

"A club of this size should be in the Premiership or challenging and I think they will be.

"I have been very impressed with what I have seen. I have been made very welcome and was pleased to be on the winning side against Rotherham.

"It was a bit tight early in the game, but it was going to be like that when you have a makeshift back four. The main thing is that we stopped them from scoring.

"We have superb ability and proved that against Rotherham. Now I am looking forward to some big games over the next few weeks."

The Scottish under-21 international has gained only one senior cap when he played in April against Poland and admits: "I need first team football to get more caps.

"I am not the finished article yet. I am young and need to learn because I have got hardly 20 senior appearances to my name, but I hope to win more caps.

"I have nothing bad to say about our coach Craig Brown. He is great to me, but there will be a new coach coming in soon, the squad is going to get younger and if it does that will be great for me.

"Hopefully it will be time for the younger players to get their chance and I want to be part of it.

"It is a major ambition to get more caps for my country, but to do that my club form has got to be right.