Joe Ledley believes his Crystal Palace teammate Dwight Gayle is one of the best finishers at the club.

Gayle, 24, has struggled to break into Alan Pardew’s starting eleven so far this season, with the Eagles boss favouring Connor Wickham or opting not to play a specialist striker.

The former Peterborough star served a timely reminder of his ability last night, however, sealing a second-half hat-trick to sink rivals Charlton 4-1.

And Wales international Ledley spoke highly of Gayle after the match, insisting he is a fantastic finisher.

“That’s what he’s good at, you give him a chance and he’s always going to score,” the 28-year-old said.

“Fair play to him he’s been fantastic in training and got his head down well.

“He wasn’t even on the bench in the last game but he’s come here, hasn’t sulked and has shown what he can do.

“He’s one of the best finishers at the club without a shadow of doubt – he’s very difficult to play against as his movement is brilliant.

“His effort and determination today was fantastic and it was a top performance.”

The Palace midfielder also suggested that the club can turn their attentions to cup competitions after consolidating their position in the Premier League.

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