Sheffield Wednesday 2 Crystal Palace 2: Dark day for Wednesday leaves club and fans facing the music

When the final whistle was blown, it signalled joy at one end of the Hillsborough stadium.

But it was not Wednesday celebrating survival, it was Crystal Palace.

Once their supporters spilled onto the pitch to toast victory, it turned the despair of the home fans into anger.

Fighting erupted between rival fans and Palace defender Clint Hill was struck several times as he was shepherded back to the tunnel by stewards.

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The mob also attempted to charge down the tunnel but were kept at bay by riot police waving batons.

It was a shocking end to an afternoon that, otherwise, had shown everything that is powerful and good about English football.

There had been drama, incident, and tears of joy. Ninety minutes of sheer emotion that had ended in Palace's survival and Wednesday's relegation to League One.

But it should never have come to this.

While the Eagles were still bemoaning the 10-point ban imposed by the Football League in January for re-entering administration, the Owls had been dragged back into trouble following a dismal sequence of just one win in 12 games.

The atmosphere at kick-off time could hardly have been more electric with home fans launching into a passionate rendition of Hi Ho Sheffield Wednesday.

All tickets for this relegation decider had been sold and millions more were watching live on BBC1.

The Owls survived an early scare when Shaun Derry's low cross found Calvin Andrew in the penalty box and his shot was saved by Grant.

Jermaine Johnson carved out an opening at the opposite end but shot straight at Palace goalkeeper Julian Speroni.

With 12 minutes gone, the Owls had a shout for a penalty turned down by referee Mike Dean after Patrick McCarthy pushed Mark Beevers.

Moments later, Dean was in the thick of things again, booking Palace striker Andrew for a high challenge on goalkeeper Lee Grant.

A Darren Ambrose free-kick brought a flying save from Grant as Palace began to mount serious pressure.

Then came the first moment of controversy.

Palace won a corner and referee Dean ordered James O'Connor to the touchline for treatment to a facial injury.

While O'Connor was off the field and the Owls down to 10 men, Andrew's corner was headed powerfully home by the unmarked Alan Lee.

It was a cruel blow for the Owls and O'Connor was not slow to express his fury at Dean once he had returned to the field.

The goal silenced the home crowd and the need to grab an equaliser before the interval could not have been greater.

When Dean rejected another penalty shout, after an apparent trip by McCarthy on Leon Clarke, it would have been easy for the Owls to throw up their hands and cry 'unfair'.

But the home side got the benefit of Dean's next major call and it opened the door for a timely equaliser.

Chasing a long ball towards the corner flag, striker Clarke jostled Palace full-back Danny Butterfield who then mis-kicked.

As the Palace players looked towards Dean for a foul, Clarke found himself one-on-one with the goalkeeper, albeit from a tight angle.

Showing supreme composure, the Owls striker curled the ball beyond Speroni's reach and inside the far post.

Amid the euphoria surrounding the goal, Clarke was swamped by team-mates as he celebrated with fans on the track at the front of the North Stand. It was during those moments that Clarke kicked an advertising hoarding and dislocated a toe.

Tempers frayed as the players headed back to the dressing room with Owls midfielder O'Connor at the centre of a melee caught on camera.

Unhappy with Palace captain Shaun Derry over the incident that led to his head wound, O'Connor struggled to keep his cool again when Potter was caught by Derry's elbow soon after the break.

Owls manager Alan Irvine also needed to have words with Johnson as the winger began to show his irritable side and got booked for a late tackle on Derry.

The Owls, however, had clearly been lifted by the equalising goal and Palace were the team on the back foot immediately after the break.

A Marcus Tudgay shot was blocked on the line in front of a Kop now bouncing with optimism and Luke Varney got behind the Palace back four only to be denied by Speroni.

Somehow Palace managed to survive that 15-minute onslaught before catching the Owls with a sucker punch.

Sean Scanell found room on the Wednesday left and a low cross picked out Darren Ambrose to score.

The Owls now needed to score twice as a draw was good enough for the Eagles to stay up.

Irvine sent on winger Etienne Esajas to try and liven it up and a cross from the Dutchman was headed over by Johnson.

Tom Soares fluffed his lines after running onto a ball from Tudgay; the substitute opting to take one too many touches rather than hitting a first time shot.

Irvine's final throw of the dice was the introduction of Francis Jeffers, with 15 minutes to go; the one-time England striker's three year deal almost at an end.

Jeffers was only inches away from grabbing an equaliser; his lack of height preventing a touch on a Johnson cross.

Dramatically, with only three minutes to go, Darren Purse offered Wednesday a lifeline, sliding in at the back post to equalise.

A mood of despair turned to hope, it was heart-in-the-mouth time.

The fourth official's board showed another five minutes of added time and signalled another outpouring of noise.

Goalkeeper Grant went forward for corners and also produced a stunning one handed save to deny substitute Stern John.

With the last kick of the game, the home side forced a corner but time was up. Not just in terms of this game but for the Owls in the Championship.