Andre Gray admits he had started to doubt himself during a barren spell this season before bagging both goals in a 2-0 win over Wycombe Wanderers last night.

The striker had only scored once in his previous 19 appearances this season and just three times in his previous 46 matches across the current campaign and last.

However, he showed good striker's instincts to finish his best two chances in the victory over the Chairboys, lifting a weight off his shoulders, as he looks to contribute more between now and the end of the season.

“Football is based a lot on confidence," he told the club's matchday broadcast Hive Live. "I’m a striker and I want to score. I probably did start to doubt myself, but I tried to put it out of my mind.

“A weight has been lifted off my shoulders now. I’ve been trying to do the right things, get in the right positions. I’ve been here before at other clubs and scored again, so hopefully the same will happen now."

Looking forward the remaining 12 league matches, Gray knows an upturn in his form could be the difference between automatic promotion or a nervy battle in the playoffs.

He hopes he and Joao Pedro have it in them to fire the Hornets back to the top flight.

“I hope me and Joao can carry the torch now and get the goals, but we need everyone else too. It won’t always be pretty and sometimes we’ll have to win ugly,” he said.

“We are a very experienced team. The Wycombe win wasn’t the prettiest, it was a grind. We’ve got to find ways to win, and it won’t be easy. We’ve got some of the big boys to play too. I’ve been here before.

“We’ve got to be like a train and plough through teams, grind the results out. We’ve got to dig in, we’re so close but we have to push forward now. It’s in our own hands.”