Connor Wickham: I haven't met expectations at Crystal Palace

Connor Wickham admits he has not lived up to his price tag at Crystal Palace but is determined to justify the faith manager Alan Pardew has shown in him.

Wickham headed the goal which took Palace to the FA Cup final with a 2-1 win over Watford on Sunday but that was only his sixth goal of the season following a £7m summer move from Sunderland.

The 23-year-old was a surprise selection ahead of Emmanuel Adebayor against the Hornets and in the knowledge he often scores in sprees, Wickham wants to build on the platform his goal provides and end an injury-ravaged season on a high.

"The manager's brought me in with a lot of expectation, which I know I've not lived up to, I've been injured a lot, but before I had my last injury I was back scoring goals and that's what I love doing," said Wickham, 23, whom Pardew has said needs to take greater care of himself to fulfil his potential.

"I've got to look after myself, think about my training, my recovery, my preparation, make sure [an injury] doesn't happen again, because I've scored and hopefully it can be a kick-start.

The manager's brought me in with a lot of expectation, which I know I've not lived up to.

"I hope [I'm over my injuries] more than anyone. I've never had so many in my life in one season, but I managed to get myself fit again and back scoring goals."

Asked if there was any reason Palace could not defeat Manchester United in the final, he responded: "No, not at all. Look at Leicester, they're underdogs at the start of the season, 5,000-1 or whatever it was, and they're probably going to win the Premier League.

"So we're not going to think about underdogs or top dogs, it's us against them."