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The side have won five consecutive games, leading Pardew to believe that his side are good enough to win promotion to the Premiership at the first time of asking.
"At the start of the season our target was promotion, and we can do that through the play-offs. We have not given up on catching Portsmouth or Leicester but we can still make it into the Premiership.
"This was a big, big game for us but we have coped well with the pressure. We had our best training session ever on Friday so I knew the lads were on form.
"We've put in performances this week which suggest that we're right up there with the best sides in this division, and that's what we have to maintain. I hope we get the press that the players deserve because they were excellent.
"You just aim for the stars and see where it takes you. We have got a group of young players who have gelled very nicely, and we've got some very good players who weren't involved today like Butler and Cureton.
"We're looking good, and we're very pleased, but there's a long way to go."
After his side's superb run of form, that has seen them rise from seventh to third in a matter of weeks, Alan Pardew is odds on favourite to pick up the Division One Manager of the Month Award for the second time this season.
Wimbledon are Reading's opponents next weekend and a win is necessary if they are to continue to turn up the heat on Leicester and Portsmouth, two sides who appear to be running away at the moment.
Meanwhile, out of favour striker Anthony Rougier scored for Brighton yesterday as the Withdean Stadium defeated Millwall at the New Den. Rougier calmly slotted past Tony Warner to help the South Coast side move out of the relegation zone for the first time since August.