Matt Salter is ready to deliver in new role for Bristol

MATT Salter is looking forward to being back among the rank and file for the first time tonight in Bristol's crunch Guinness Premiership match at Newcastle (8pm).

Salter led Bristol for four years before deciding to stand down over the summer and openside Joe El Abd was awarded the captaincy.

Blindside flanker Salter missed the previous three Premiership matches due to a bicep muscle injury he suffered in July but proved his fitness in the Guinness A League defeat at Leeds last week.

Salter said: "I am settling back to being a private after being a lieutenant! Joe is doing a fantastic job. It's not easy.

"I have been through it before and lost my first few games as captain."

He added: "I am excited about playing. It's always nice to get a game.

"I suppose it is going to be slightly different but it will be nice to let Joe run the show and be captained by someone else."

Bottom club Bristol face the pre-season relegation favourites Newcastle but Salter insists the game won't decide who will be relegated.

He added: "It's far too early.

"It's the start of the season. This is the best time to lose three matches as we have time to make up the results. In 2005-06 we lost six matches in a row and stayed up."

Newcastle boss Steve Bates added: "This is game four out of 22, and we go in to all of them with a very positive approach in feeling that we can win. We see this as another important Premiership game, as they all are, and we know from watching the tapes that Bristol are a very capable outfit.

"We know that if we play well then we are in with a shout of getting a result, and if we don't play well that we won't – it's the same for every game."

As well as Salter, 31, experienced second-row Roy Winters starts his first match for Bristol this season but summer signing, fly-half Adrian Jarvis, has not recovered from a knee injury.

Ed Barnes wears the No 10 shirt with Luke Arscott moving from full-back to inside centre. Tonga full-back Vunga Lilo wins his debut.

Former England hooker Mark Regan is among the replacements alongside Wales second-row Robert Sidoli and ex-All Black Andrew Blowers.

Fly-half Chris Ashwin, signed from Newbury this summer, will also make his debut if he comes off the bench.

Bristol: V Lilo; T Arscott, N Brew, L Arscott, D Lemi; E Barnes, G Beveridge; A Clarke, S Linklater, J Hobson, R Winters, N Budgett, M Salter, J El-Abd (capt), D Ward-Smith. Reps: M Regan, P Bracken, R Sidoli, A Blowers, H Thomas, C Ashwin, G Barden.

Newcastle: S Jones; T Visser, J Noon, T May, J Rudd; J Wilkinson, J Grindal; J McDonnell, M Thompson, C Hayman, A Perry, M Sorenson, A Balding, E Williamson, P Dowson (capt). Reps: A Long, M Ward, T Swinson, R Winter, H Charlton, S Davey, R Clegg.