FORMER Town star Marcus Stewart hopes his experience of two previous Championship promotion campaigns will pay off at Preston.
The 33-year-old Bristol City frontman - who scored 17 times as Sunderland went up last season - has signed for a month on loan at Deepdale and commented:
"Preston are in a good position and I want to help as much as I can.
"That's my aim (promotion). The games we are playing between now and the end of the season are pressure games and it starts with Plymouth on Saturday and Crewe on Tuesday. They are two home games we really need to win."
Stewart's arrival has brought Billy Davies' strikeforce back up to four after the untimely loss of top scorer Dave Nugent and targetman Danny Dichio through injury.
North End could extend the loan to include the play-offs, if they get there.
Davies revealed today his attempts to recruit from Premiership and Coca-Cola Championship clubs had hit a brick wall.
But he admitted he was delighted to have finally landed a new face, especially one with so many games under his belt - some of them in the top flight and in Europe.
"The key is his experience," said Davies. "It is very difficult to get your hands on decent loan players at this stage of the season, especially ones who have such a good pedigree as Marcus.
"Clubs in the Premiership and other Championship clubs who are competing against us just don't want to lend us players.
"Sometimes it's a case of needs must. But I still feel we were very fortunate that a player with the experience of Marcus was available and we managed to get him."
Stewart scored 68 goals in 160 appearances for Town between 1996 and 2000 and was a huge fans' favourite.
