Sheffield Wednesday slipped into League One on Sunday after Crystal Palace posted the point they required to hang on to their Championship status after a dramatic end of season finale at Hillsborough.

Amid an atmosphere befitting of the top tier, the two strugglers served up a final day thriller as Palace twice took the lead through Alan Lee and Darren Ambrose. The Eagles were pegged back, though, firstly by Leon Clarke and then late on by Darren Purse.

But despite the Owls throwing the proverbial sink into attack as the clock ticked down, they couldn't muster a winner and took the tumble as a result.

Alan Irvine sent out an attack-minded side out to take on Palace in this do or die clash but both sides started brightly, with the Owls forcing a corner inside 20 seconds and Calvin Andrew testing Lee Grant from Palace's first attack.

Play promptly switched back to the other end in an exciting start and visiting keeper Julian Speroni was called into action a trademark mazy run and shot by Jermaine Johnson.

Palace were then fortunate to escape a decent Owls penalty shout when Mark Beevers took a clear push in the back from a looping cross and the controversy continued as Calvin Andrew went in high and late on Grant and saw yellow from referee Mike Dean.

Grant was again at the centre of the action on the 20-minute mark, diving swiftly to his right to deny set piece specialist and Palace top scorer Ambrose.

But the Eagles stole a march four minutes later. Dangerman Ambrose floated an accurate corner into the heart of the penalty area and the onrushing figure of Lee powered an unstoppable header past Grant.



Wednesday hit back with Johnson firing an angled strike narrowly wide before the Owls had another penalty claim waived away when Clarke appeared to be tripped by Matt Lawrence.

But the Owls got their reward two minutes before the interval. The former Wolves man robbed Danny Butterfield on the left touchline and cut inside before bending a superb effort across Speroni to haul the hosts level.

That was Clarke's last input to the game as the striker was stretchered off with a toe injury almost immediately after the restart. Tom Soares came on for the Owls.

The atmosphere rose another notch in the early throes of the second half as Wednesday drove forward in pursuit of the goal they needed. Luke Varney broke free from the attention of two Palace defenders only for Speroni to save well from close range.

The Eagles offered little in the final third and deployed \Lee on his own to spearhead a five-man midfield.

But on a rare Palace on 62 minutes, the Londoners restored their advantage. A loose ball from the right ran agonisingly across the box and landed at the feet of Ambrose, who had time and space to drill past Grant to put the visitors squarely in the box seat.

Wednesday, looking down the barrel of League One, responded with Soares forcing a fine save from Speroni as the ex-Eagles midfielder bore down on goal. Fellow substitute Etienne Esajas - on for James O'Connor - sent a teasing ball into the box that Johnson headed over the bar as the Owls continued to press.

Irvine threw a last roll of the dice for the closing stages, withdrawing defender Eddie Nolan for striker Francis Jeffers, who might have done better when Johnson fired an accurate cross into the mix with ten minutes to go.

But with Wednesday looking dead and buried, they drew level with three minutes to go. Tommy Spurr's long throw was met by Beevers' flick on and skipper Purse was on hand to slide home at the far post.

Alas, despite throwing everyone forward for the final few minutes, the Owls couldn't get the break they needed to muster a winner and took the tumble into the third tier.

Owls: Grant, Nolan (Jeffers 75), Beevers, Purse, Spurr, Johnson, Potter, O'Connor (Esajas 67) Varney, Tudgay, Clarke (Soares 45)

Unused substitutes: O'Donnell, Hinds, Buxton, Gray

Palace: Speroni, Butterfield, Lawrence, McCarthy, Hill, Derry, Ertl, Scannell (Davis 90), Andrew (N'Diaye 61), Lee (John 84), Ambrose

Unused substitutes: Mann, Carle, Clyne, Djiali

Referee: Mike Dean

Attendance: 37,121