It's good to get Glen Townson on board, says Bristol Rugby coach Liam Middleton

LIAM Middleton has hinted that Bristol are ready to reassess their ambitions for the season after again bolstering their squad with the signing of Glen Townson.

The Newcastle lock yesterday joined Bristol on loan until the end of the season – and is the sixth player to join the club since the start of the season.

Head coach Middleton initially set a target of a top-six finish, which he then altered to a top-five aim – and he and his squad will redefine their goals shortly before the British & Irish Cup trip to Ayr later this month.

"We initially set targets of top-six and I think those were realistic in terms of the squad we had," said Middleton. "We knew that if we wanted to push on a little bit more, we'd have to strengthen in certain positions and provide some depth in certain positions – and that's what we've done."

The Championship leaders host Leeds on Sunday, when former Doncaster man Townson is set to be 23rd man, and Middleton believes the 24-year-old is a real coup for Bristol.

"He's a big man – he's 6ft 6in and he's our heaviest forward, so it's really good to get him on board," said Middleton.

"He was probably the stand-out lock in the Championship two years ago and he's played two years of Premiership rugby now, so he's more experienced than he was then. I think he'll provide us with some good depth and competition."

Middleton, who described Townson as "imposing" and "physical", added: "We're going to use Glen as 23rd man this weekend – just because there's so much to learn. It's all right a guy coming in during September – but he's coming in pretty much in December and there's a lot to learn.

"We want to give him the best opportunity to put his best foot forward, because it's very competitive in that second row. We'll take him to the game as 23rd man and if anyone gets injured we'll put him in. Otherwise, we'll probably give him another week."

The arrival of Townson has paved the way for 21-year-old Bristol lock Darren Barry to rejoin Clifton on loan – but Middleton believes the young Bristolian still has a bright future at the club.

"Darren's still in the mix," said Middleton. "He's on the bench this weekend and I still see Darren as having huge promise.

"He's a great athlete, he's got fantastic skills, he's an astute line-out operator – but he is 21 and I'm wary that he's realistically behind two very seasoned professionals in Mariano Sambucetti and Roy Winters.

"Because of that, he's not getting a lot of game-time, and there's a responsibility for us to manage his game-time, so he'll go on loan to Clifton and continue to develop his game-time. But I still think he's got a lot of potential."

Townson joins Bristol having made 16 appearances for Newcastle – 13 of them in the Premiership – since joining them last summer.