Bristol City have confirmed that defender Ashley Williams has extended his stay at the club until the end of the season after impressing since joining on a short-term deal over the summer.

The 35-year-old initially joined on a deal until January when he signed for the club towards the end of August, but he has since established himself as a regular in the Robins' defence and will see the season out at Ashton Gate.

Williams scored his first goal for the club during their 2-2 draw with Barnsley on Friday night, with the centre-back making his ninth consecutive appearance for Lee Johnson's side at Oakwell.

The former Swansea and Everton man joined the club to help ease their defensive concerns with both Tomas Kalas and Jay Dasilva absent through injury, but Williams was still named in the starting line-up when Kalas returned on Friday.

He was deployed at the heart of defence in a back three alongside Kalas and Taylor Moore, which meant Nathan Baker dropped to the bench despite making 11 appearances this term, and he may now be fearing for his place in the team following Williams' contract extension.

Williams has displayed strong leadership skills and excellent ability since his arrival at the club, and his influence on the side means he may well have climbed above Baker in Johnson's pecking order at the club.

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If this is the case, Baker may see his playing time become more limited as the season develops. Williams should now keep his place in the side unless he suffers a sudden dip in form, and Johnson may refrain from much rotation in the second half of the campaign if things are going well for his side.

The Championship is of course a long season so Baker will inevitably still be called upon by Johnson at some point even if he is not first choice, but Baker will not want to settle for this and he must now push hard for a place in the Robins side.

The extension to Williams' stay will make competition for defensive places rife from now on, but this can only be a good thing for Johnson's side as the Robins boss aims to equip his side for a promotion challenge over the remainder of the season.