NORTH End chairman Derek Shaw has set new manager Billy Davies the ultimate Championship target: 'Take us to the Premiership'.

Despite tight finances, Shaw has promised to do all he can to back Davies, installed as manager on Monday after a six-game stint as caretaker boss, in his quest for new players.

Within hours of Davies' appointment, and the arrival of former Leicester striker David Kelly as his number two, the first new face had arrived.

Congolese striker Guylain Ndumbu-Nsungu, 21, arrived at Deepdale on loan on Tuesday and was immediately thrown into that night's game against Plymouth.

His performance won over the Deepdale faithful and the club have already confirmed the one month loan from Sheffield Wednesday is with a view to a longer deal.

Shaw insists that fans have a vital role to play in ensuring that money is available for future signings -- by starting to show up at Deepdale again.

The side's indifferent start to the season has seen gates fall to around the 11,000 mark -- although none of the division's so-called 'big guns' have played at Deepdale yet, or any of the club's local rivals.

He said: "There is no doubt the goal for Billy is the Premiership. It is the club's ambition and it is what everyone here is striving for.

"But it is very important the fans start coming back. There are some big teams in this league getting two or three times as many people at every game and we need to try and compete with them.

"I've been very concerned by gates this season and obviously, the more people we get in, the more money becomes available."

Shaw has been delighted, though, with the way the fans who have been to Deepdale have rallied behind Davies: "The way he's been cheered reminds me of when David Moyes was here. We're in a different era now, but we're all still striving for success.

"As long as we're making progress, we'll be happy, but not complacent. I just felt we weren't doing that with Craig Brown."

Davies admits he knows the desires of the board, but is looking at the short-term results first.

He said: "I look to winning the next game, that will always be the priority. We look to improve all the time, and it's too early for me to be talking about targets beyond the next game.

"We will look to strengthen but we know we have a budget to work within and we want to give all the players we have the chance to claim their places first."