Bent hopes to impress while on-loan at the Riverside

Middlesbrough striker Marcus Bent is confident he can provide the forward presence that the club is looking for in the Championship.

Bent, 31, signed from Birmingham on a two-month loan on Friday and was brought on against Plymouth to partner fellow forward Leroy Lita.

"I see myself as a target man," Bent told BBC Tees.

"I'm big and strong and good in the air, Leroy is quick and a good finisher, hopefully I can help him."

Middlesbrough's main aim this season is to restore their Premier League status at the first attempt, following relegation last term under former boss Gareth Southgate.

However with five defeats in their first 15 games, four of those at the Riverside, the Teessiders have found it difficult to fully impose themselves on the division.

And Bent, having enjoyed success in the league before with Ipswich and Birmingham, appreciates the magnitude of the task for Gordon Strachan and his players.

"I was in the division last season with Birmingham and we got promoted after a long graft," he added.

"Today wasn't the debut I would have liked because it wasn't the result we wanted because we didn't get the three points, but on the positives we had plenty of chances and played some good football.

"It's going to be a very hard season, there's going to be a lot of people jumping on our backs and we've got to stick together and move on.

"It's two or three months into the seasons, and although we've had a few bad results over the last few weeks, we're still at the top end of the table."

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