Crystal Palace striker Dougie Freedman says sheer hard work is the key to the Eagles rising up the table.

The Scottish striker revealed the confidence within the squad has been "shattered" after a series of disappointing results and need to significantly improve at both ends of the pitch.

But Freedman feels the current Palace squad has gone enough ability to get through the rut and get back to winning games.

"The confidence is shattered so we have to build the confidence up again," said Freedman.

"It's not going to come in one game, just through a lot of hard work and concentrating and maybe keeping clean sheets and creating chances, which I think we have done but we were just a little bit off.

"People think it's a big task after we got beat 1-0 at home against Plymouth. We are disappointed but saying that we have created chances. It's just the way it goes."

The striker got a rare 90-minute outing in Saturday's defeat and was deployed just behind Shefki Kuqi and Clinton Morrison in a three-pronged strike-force in the second half.

Freedman admits it was good to gate a whole game under his belt and want to pay back his manager's faith by scoring some goals.

"It was good to play 90 minutes and get a few chances," he said.

"Obviously the sharpness is not quite there but that will come. I just want to hit the back of the net for the manager, to get a few goals and take the pressure off him a bit."

The same can be said for Freedman's fellow frontman Shefki Kuqi. The Finn as hit just one goal since his £2.5million move from Blackburn Rovers in August and has come under criticism from a section of Eagles supporters.

But Freedman has backed the striker to rediscover his scoring touch and admits it has been a hard couple of months for the striker.

"Shefki will be fine," he added. "When you come to a new club and move to London it takes a while to settle. It's not a big problem and he does not see it as one.

"Time will tell. You have got to give the guy a year to settle down. You can't judge him after only a couple of months."

l Peter Taylor has revealed both Michael Hughes and James Scowcroft could return to the Eagles squad for the visit to Queens Park Rangers this Saturday.

The duo have been action of action with knee and hamstring injuries respectively.