Crystal Palace striker Dwight Gayle admits they must start picking up points again soon if they want to ensure Premier League survival this season.

The Eagles are currently 13th in the table, five points clear of the bottom three with 12 games remaining.

They need just four wins and a draw between now and the end of the season to all but ensure safety by reaching 40 points, although they face a tough run-in at the end of the campaign.

Palace play Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool in three of their final four games of the season – a run of fixtures made to look even harder given their recent form.

After winning their first three games in a row under new boss Alan Pardew, the Premier League strugglers have won just one of their last five league and cup games and are winless in four at Selhurst Park.

Continuing that run could see Palace slip back into a relegation battle and Gayle is now calling on the team to find their form when they travel to eighth-placed West Ham this weekend.

“I think it’s very important to get the points on the table as soon as we can as our last four games are against tough opposition and we won’t want to be going into them having to pick up too many points,” the 24-year-old striker told Palace’s official website.

“It was similar last year and it was always going to be tight because there’s so many good teams in the league and everyone can beat everyone, so there was always going to be seven or eight teams down there.”

Palace are outsiders at 3.49 to win at Upton Park while West Ham, who are without a win in five league and cup games, are priced at 2.07.