Anthony Gardner has put the secret to Crystal Palace's survival down to simple organisation after the Eagles dragged themselves to the very edge of Championship safety.

Monday's 1-0 win over play-off chasing Leeds United lifted Palace six points clear of the bottom three with two games to go and virtually secured a 34th consecutive year of football in the top two tiers.

They could still be caught by Sheffield United and Scunthorpe United but the Blades would need to overhaul a nine goal deficit while the Iron have the impossible task of making up 18 goals.

Dougie Freedman took over from George Burley in January with the club in 23rd but has slowly seen them climb the table and Gardner, on loan from this Saturday's opponents Hull City, was full of praise for the Scot and his organisational skills.

"When I first came maybe the organisation side of things wasn’t tip top," said the 29-year-old.

"But since Dougie got the appointment it has been better and the commitment of the players has shone through as well.

"When the pressure is on, we have also been able to grind out results.

"We have had one or two knock backs, the Scunthorpe defeat saw people writing us off but then we come back with a 1-0 win against Leeds.

"That’s nice to see, a lot of character for the future of the club.

“It would seem that we are safe, barring a miracle, and we are allowing ourselves to celebrate as I think it is hard not to.

"From where we have come from at the beginning of the season to now, it is a miraculous change."

After an injury-plagued first half of the campaign, Gardner has missed just one match since January 3 but the former Tottenham Hotspur star is unsure where his future lies.

"I am a Hull player but I have been at Palace the whole season," he said.

"I have taken to the fans and the players and in a sense I see myself as a Crystal Palace player.

"But I will sit down with my agent at the end of the season and see where my career takes me, obviously nothing is decided yet."

The Eagles' remaining games; Apr 30 Hull City (a), May 7 Nott'm Forest (h, 12.45pm).