March 9 2011

Dougie Freedman

Crystal Palace manager Dougie Freedman was overjoyed after the Eagles registered an important win over Cardiff.

Kagisho Dikgacoi's goal helped Palace move four points above the relegation zone with Cardiff's Peter Whittingham's missing a penalty.

Freedman said: "It's very pleasing to win a very hard-fought match. We certainly had to work hard for that. Any win is pleasing right now.

"The lads are buzzing in the dressing room. They've done well and stuck to the game plan throughout the match.

"I've got a team, substitutes, a squad and fans here that are all pulling in one direction. It's getting us through - everyone is. We're sticking to training, sticking to working hard and sticking to smiling and we're getting these hard-fought victories."

He added: "I didn't get a very good view of the goal but my first thought was 'what is Kagisho Dikgacoi doing that far up the pitch,' then I thought 'he's missed it' and then it trickled in.

"Julian Speroni is the best goalkeeper outside the Premier League, a top, top goalkeeper - many neutrals outside of this football club would agree with me. But it was a team effort and with our desire and commitment I think we edged it.

"We don't have a points (target), I just try and approach every week getting the players better and better. I try to make them better individually so we play better as a team. I don't look back at what might have been, or too far ahead."

Cardiff manager Dave Jones said: "To say we deserved something from the game is an understatement. They clung on for dear life. They've ridden their luck and held on.

"We deserved it and I'm not even talking about a point - we deserved all three. I think the goalkeeper has pulled off three unbelievable saves. It's definitely not bad finishing from us.

"They didn't do anything in the second half from my memory, they've ridden their luck and held on so fair play to them. I don't even think the penalty miss is a key moment. We still had the ball and the possession and we're still going but you can't give a goal away like we did.

"There's no real danger, if we keep the door shut we're fine. It was the same against Ipswich last match, they hadn't had a touch until they scored. It was another goal out of nothing.

"The first half was more of a battle but nothing really happened apart from the ball bobbling around. In the second half we had a go, and you're always wary something can happen but I did not see that happening. It was one-way traffic - they kept clearing the ball and we kept coming at them."