Crystal Palace enjoyed an upturn in form immediately prior to the coronavirus outbreak, winning three games in a row after winning just one of their previous 12 before that.
That run of form was enough to take the Eagles to the brink of securing another season in the top flight, with Roy Hodgson's side needing only one more point to reach the 40-point mark.
It has not all been plain-sailing for Palace, though, with their goalscoring record a particular concern with only two teams having netted fewer in the entire division.
Here, the Sports Mole team select who they think has been Palace's player of the season so far.
Barney Corkhill, Editor: Jordan Ayew
Considering Crystal Palace's poor attacking record this season it seems somewhat counter-intuitive to select a striker as their best player of the campaign, but in a squad where few individuals have stood out Jordan Ayew has been Palace's most important member for me.
The 28-year-old has scored eight of Palace's 26 goals, and crucially five of those have been winning goals - only the Liverpool trio of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino have been responsible for more winners.
Ayew's goals have been the difference between Hodgson's side battling for a place in the top half or fighting against relegation, and a special mention must also go to his goal-of-the-season contender against West Ham United.
Matt Law, Football Editor: Jordan Ayew
The likes of Vicente Guaita and Gary Cahill deserve praise for their performances this season, but Jordan Ayew, in my opinion, deserves to be named Palace's player of the season.
The 29-year-old has managed eight Premier League goals this term and his form has been particularly important considering that the team's star man Wilfried Zaha has registered just three league goals.
Only Zaha (29) has made more league appearances than Ayew (28) for Roy Hodgson's side this term, while the attacker has scored the winner in Palace's last two league games against Brighton & Hove Albion and Watford. One thing is for sure, the Eagles would not be 11th in the table at this stage without Ayew's goals.
Darren Plant, Senior Reporter: Jordan Ayew
There can be little disputing that Jordan Ayew has been Crystal Palace's player of the season. When the Ghanaian has contributed each of his eight goals and one assist, the Eagles have not suffered defeat, highlighting his importance to this side.
On six occasions, Palace have prevailed by one-goal margins when Ayew has made an impact in the final third, which includes a goal against Manchester United at Old Trafford.
However, five of his other seven strikes have come against teams below Palace in the table, meaning that the versatile attacker has been the major difference between a relegation battle and his side having ambitions further up the standings.
Dan Lewis, Senior Reporter: Jordan Ayew
Despite netting just one top-flight goal during last season's loan spell, Ayew clearly did enough to persuade Palace to pay Swansea City £2.5m to sign him permanently last July.
That has to go down as one of the best signings of the summer transfer window as the Ghanaian has eight goals to his name this term, including goals in back-to-back matches before the shutdown.
Ben Knapton, Reporter: Vicente Guaita
Vicente Guaita has been hugely impressive between the sticks at Selhurst Park this season, making 88 saves and keeping a respectable nine clean sheets in the process.
The Spaniard's ability to quickly eradicate any goalmouth danger is evident; Guaita has made 21 punches this term, the most in the Premier League. Furthermore, the 33-year-old had gone three games without conceding a goal in England's top flight prior to the league's postponement.
The Eagles' most prized asset Wilfried Zaha has endured an underwhelming campaign by his standards, but Jordan Ayew has scored some vital goals this season and is a suitable candidate.
That being said, Palace would be much closer to the relegation zone without the heroics of Guaita, and as a result he gets my vote.
