Simon Grayson has pledged to get Fleetwood back to winning ways after being appointed their new head coach.

Grayson, 51, has agreed a deal until the end of the season and succeeds Joey Barton at the Sky Bet League One club.

"Fleetwood Town are a football club I know a lot about, it's a club with a really good infrastructure," Grayson told their official website.

"I'm delighted to get back to work and be given this opportunity to get the club winning again. I can't wait to get started.

"First and foremost, I want to get Fleetwood back to winning ways, get a smile on players' faces again and get them enjoying what they are doing.

"It's never easy when you are losing games and things aren't going your way, so I intend to get them smiling, working hard, and letting us earn the right to win football matches. Hopefully, we can do that very quickly."

Fleetwood have fallen to 14th in the table after going eight league games without a win.

They have picked up only two points from five games since Barton left the club on January 4.

Grayson began his managerial career at nearby Blackpool in 2005 and guided the Seasiders into the Championship 18 months later.

He achieved a second promotion from League One at Leeds in 2010 and has also managed Huddersfield, Preston, Sunderland and Bradford.

Grayson's last job in the English Football League was a seven-month spell back at Blackpool, which ended in February 2020.