IT would be fair to assume that Kieron Dyer would be incredibly frustrated with his latest spell on the sidelines following the best part of two seasons out with a recurring hamstring problem.

Yet he admits to being "relieved" with the latest blow he was forced to overcome.

Dyer made his long awaited return to Glenn Roeder's side when he appeared fleetingly as a substitute in Newcastle's Carling Cup victory over Portsmouth at St James' Park in October.

It was his first outing in a black and white shirt since the 4-1 derby victory over Sunderland in April.

But just when he was ready for a lengthy run in the United side an unfortunate collision with a training ground pole brought his comeback to a shuddering halt.

His inexhaustible patience was then rewarded when he next returned to the team and netted a goal at Arsenal to earn his side a share of the spoils at the Emirates Stadium.

But this comeback was, once again, short-lived when he collided with an advertising hoarding in the following match against Portsmouth.

The 28-year-old injury-jinxed midfielder came through his latest return to the first team unscathed against a hard-working Watford side at the weekend.

"As strange as it might seem, I've actually been relieved with these latest injuries," said the former Ipswich midfielder. "Don't get me wrong, I've been gutted to miss more games because of them. My comeback has been stop-start so far, which is frustrating.

"But, the thing is, they have both been freak injuries, not physical problems.

"It's incredible. How many times has a player been injured by a flag pole hitting him in the eye? I've never heard of it before. That kept me out for a fortnight and then a week later I cut my leg open when I slide into an advertising board. I've never heard of that happening before either. It's been ridiculous and irritating, but it's not been my hamstrings. There hasn't been the slightest twinge in my hamstrings, I don't even think about them anymore.

"It's going to take me a few games to get back into my stride, just like any player. I've not played very much football for two seasons and I'm thrilled to be back again."

Dyer's return to the United line up has coincided with an upturn in fortunes.

The Magpies had slumped in to the relegation zone before they visited Arsene Wenger's side last month but, on the back of a four wins in five league fixtures since the Gunners' draw, Newcastle have climbed to 12th in the Premier League table.

"I think the Arsenal result was the turning point in Newcastle's season," admitted Dyer. "It was my first game back and I scored, but it wasn't about my return to the team, the whole team played well and we got a lot of belief from that result.

"Confidence was low when I came back and we were in the bottom three. We went to Arsenal and nobody gave us a hope of getting anything from the game, but we did.

"When they scored the equaliser with about 20 minutes to go, you could see our players looking at each other and wondering whether that was it.

"We knew we were going to take a battering for the last 20 minutes and we did. They threw everything at us, but we stood firm and we hung on to the draw. It was a massive result and if you look since then, our results have been really good. It's amazing how quickly things can change in football, but we needed that performance and that result to lift the mood in the camp."

The recent run has also coincided with rich vein of form from £10m striker Obafemi Martins.

"I also think that was the game Oba settled into the Premiership," acknowledged Dyer.

"He'd also been out injured with hamstring problems, but he came back into the side and even though he played as a lone striker, something he's not used to, he gave Toure and Gallas a torrid afternoon with his strength and pace.

"I watch a lot of football and I knew all about Oba before he came because I had seen him play a fair bit for Inter Milan.

"He has another gear to go up yet, but I never doubted he would be a success here.

"He just needed a bit of time to settle and he is still settling in. The difference is, he is scoring goals, he's playing with confidence and the supporters have taken to him.

"I've never played with a player with more power in both feet. He's got a great physique and definitely a body for the beach in the summer.

"The club have invested a lot of money in him, but he has the physical attributes to be a success in the Premiership."