Palace have suffered just one defeat from their last eight matches in all competitions despite a challenging fixture list, and head to the Amex Stadium on Sunday afternoon full of confidence.
Richards told Premier League Productions: “I think we had a rough start to the season, but the stat is one defeat in the last eight, so I think we're on our way to getting to where we want to be.
“But we understand that if we do want to go higher up on the table that we have to come away from games like \[the 2-2 draw with Manchester\] City with three points.
“I think we were pleased with the draw, I felt, or at least we felt like we could have maybe gotten a bit more out of the game. We understand that we're in a tough situation right now, but again I think if we're on our game, we can play with any team in the league, and I think we showed it against City.
“I think ‘hard-working’ is probably the best word for it. I think now that we're all together, all fit, all healthy, I think we're kind of starting to understand each other both on and off the pitch, and I think you can see it with the results.”
As for Sunday’s game against Brighton – Richards’ third taste of the Eagles’ traditional rivalry with the Seagulls – the American smiled: “It's a messy fixture!
“I think we definitely don't like each other. I think it's definitely something you see when we play these games. I feel like it's never really a clean game when we play each other.
“At the end of the day, Brighton are a good team. We're a good team. Hopefully the best team will win on Sunday.
“That's what the sport is about, being able to talk a bit of trash when you beat your rival!”
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