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Bristol Post
Bristol Post
Sport
Sam Frost

Bristol Rovers' ex-Middlesbrough midfielder heads to Scotland on loan as Joey Barton trims squad

Bristol Rovers midfielder Ben Liddle has joined Scottish Championship side Queen of the South, the Gas confirmed on Friday.

The 22-year-old has moved to the Dumfries club on a season-long loan, subject to international clearance.

His departure leaves Rovers bang on the 20-man squad limit imposed by the EFL, and further departures are likely to follow in the coming days to allow Joey Barton to make signings before Tuesday's transfer deadline.

Liddle becomes the third player to leave Rovers this week after Brandon Hanlan and Jack Baldwin joined Gillingham and Ross County respectively on permanent deals.

The Durham-born central midfielder's contract at the Mem will expire at the end of the loan, meaning he may have played his final game for the Gas.

Liddle joined Rovers from Middlesbrough last summer, but he has failed to make a lasting impression at the Mem.

His sole appearance this season in the Carabao Cup defeat to Cheltenham Town follows a frustrating campaign where he was seen in the first team just nine times, accumulating just 487 minutes on the pitch.

With Barton overhauling Rovers' squad, Liddle's playing chances appeared limited at best and the move north of the border will give him a chance to find some momentum in his career.

Liddle's departure also means that of the 13 players signed by the Gas last season on permanent deals under Ben Garner and Paul Tisdale, only four remain at the club: Sam Nicholson, Pablo Martinez, Zain Westbrooke and Ryan Jones.

Nicholson should be a first-team regular this season while youngsters Martinez and Jones can expect to be around the squad and used sporadically but Barton has admitted Westbrooke can leave, if a move can be found for the former Coventry City midfielder.

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