Match-winner Shefki urges Warnock not to sell him

It has taken more than two years for Shefki Kuqi to call Crystal Palace home - but now he fears he will be uprooted once again.

The Finnish striker is in the best form of his Palace career after helping Neil Warnock's side soar to fifth in the Championship with a 3-0 win over Southampton last night.

Kuqi bagged the opening goal at Selhurst Park - his fourth in 11 games - and claimed the manofthematch award for almost single-handedly bludgeoning the visitors into submission.

It has been a remarkable transformation for Kuqi, who had been the butt of countless terrace jokes since his £2.5million move from Blackburn in 2006. Yet, Palace's financial situation means they will seek to off-load him in January.

Kuqi earns £13,000 a week and the Eagles will seek a cut-price fee for the forward in a bid to avoid losing him for nothing in June, when his contract expires. But the 32-year-old today pleaded with Warnock to let him stay.

He said: "I would like to stay here because I have a lot of friends here and I have a life away from football.

"When I first got here, I was living in a hotel with my wife for three months, I didn't know people and I found that very hard. If you know people off the pitch, that helps you.

"But whether I leave or stay depends on the club and what the contract is. At the moment, things are going well and hopefully we can get promotion - that is what I am concentrating on.

"I don't have an agent so I'm not having to think about it. Other people can talk about it if they want but I know what I would like to do."

Kuqi showed his worth to Palace by firing them ahead in the ninth minute, capitalising on Alex Pearce's slip and volleying over Kelvin Davis.

Craig Beattie doubled the Eagles' advantage moments later with another volley, while Paul Ifill sealed the win late on after another defensive error from Lloyd James.