Jamaican international Ricardo Gardner is intent on making full use of his time on loan at Preston North End and looks forward to playing a role in the team's bid for Championship survival.

Preston are currently at the bottom of the table, in the 24-team league, on 25 points, seven behind Sheffield and nine points behind Scunthorpe, which leaves them some 13 points adrift of safety. However, Gardner, who joined the club on loan from Premier League outfit Bolton Wanderers on Tuesday, after a prolonged spell on the sideline, believes based on what he has seen so far, they deserve to be further up the table.

"I am coming here to try and enjoy it and help the club to go up the league where they deserve," the 32-year-old told the Preston North End Player.

"I have been out with a knee problem, they have done a cleanout on my knee. But I have put that behind me and have come to Preston to get some games and to help them climb up that table."

The Bolton veteran, who has been a member of that club for 12 years and has played some 339 games, was inserted straight into the starting line-up on Tuesday and played 83 minutes in a 2-1 home defeat to fourth-place Leeds. Having got that game under his belt against a top team, he does not believe that the team deserve to be bottom of the table.

"Playing like that against Leeds shows they don't deserve to be at the bottom of the table."

Earlier this year the player, who represented Jamaica at the 1998 World Cup, stated that he was not yet ready it call it curtains in his international career. However, Gardner has not represented the national team since the 2009 Gold Cup.