Republic of Ireland international defender Alex Pearce has joined Bristol City on loan for the rest of the season.

Pearce has been unable to force his way into the Derby team since joining them in the summer on a free transfer from Reading and the move will give him the opportunity to play some first team football.

The 27-year-old centre back has not featured for Derby in the league this season and has had to settle for appearance in the cup competitions.

Despite this, Pearce still harbours hopes of being part of the Ireland squad for Euro 2016 and the attraction of first team football at Bristol City was too big to turn down, despite the fact that they currently sit in the relegation zone of the Championship.

City boss John Pemberton revealed that Pearce's desire to force his way into Martin O'Neill's plans this summer were behind the switch.

"When I spoke to Alex, it’s clear how desperate he is to get into the Ireland team for the Euros – if he does that then it means he will have played well for us," he said.