Brian Horton managed seven clubs before becoming Phil Brown's assistant

New Preston assistant manager Brian Horton believes the Championship's bottom club can avoid relegation.

Horton and new boss Phil Brown took charge of North End on Thursday with the club seven points adrift of safety.

"We've been in many worse situations than this and survived," Horton told BBC Radio Lancashire.

"We need to be here to try and give the players confidence. It's a hard job to take on but it's a good one and it's a fantastic club."

The pair, who guided previous club Hull City to the Premier League for the first time in their history in 2008, were appointed at Deepdale following Darren Ferguson's sacking in December.

But despite having only won five league games all season, Horton believes the foundations for building a successful side is already in place.

"We saw them a couple of times when Darren was here and to be fair they played some really good football," said the 61-year-old.

Fans like to see the commitment and endeavour and I think you'll get that from Phil and myself Preston assistant manager Brian Horton

"We want them to play good football, and that's always been a tradition here. But first and foremost we want them to start winning games, no matter how you win them.

"Fans like to see the commitment and endeavour and I think you'll get that from Phil and myself without a shadow of a doubt."

Meanwhile, Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has explained his decision to bring back three of his young players from loan in the wake of his son Darren's dismissal at Deepdale.

The move, which cost North End the services of Ritchie de Laet, Matty James and Joshua King, ad been viewed as a graceless act of revenge by Ferguson Snr.

But the United manager has set the record straight, confirming that it was his players' desire not to go back to the Lancashire outfit, a view explained personally by Ferguson to Preston's owner Trevor Hemmings, who he knows well though horse-racing connections.

Matty James was already injured and both Ritchie de Laet and Josh King were coming back in two days' time anyway, so under the regulations, we decided to keep them United boss Sir Alex Ferguson

"I spoke with the owner, Trevor Hemmings, with whom I have a good relationship, and explained that the players did not want to go back," said Ferguson.

"Our reserve team coach, Warren Joyce, spoke to me about it. We decided that the players should go to training that day and we would discuss it later.

"We decided that if the players did not want to go back there was no point in them being there.

"Matty James was already injured and both Ritchie de Laet and Josh King were coming back in two days' time anyway, so under the regulations, we decided to keep them."

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