We have to make Owls fans proud in the future

On a final day of the season marred by clashes between rival fans on the Hillsborough pitch at the final whistle, the Owls narrowly failed to secure the win they needed against Crystal Palace to survive in the Championship, drawing 2-2.

The Football Association will today study footage of the chaotic scenes and disciplinary action against the Owls cannot be ruled out.

Click here to read Ian Appleyard's match report from Hillsborough >>

Click here to read Richard Hercock on the Owls' relegation >>

Irvine, meanwhile, must start the task of rebuilding his side in an attempt to bounce back next season.

With debts of 26m, the Owls will also need to discover whether relegation impacts on the possibility of summer investment from Chicago-based Club 9 Sports.

Irvine started talks with chairman Lee Strafford last night and will be releasing a number of players over the next few days.

A game that had been billed 'Survival Sunday' ended in parity and the point was enough to keep Palace up at Wednesday's expense.

The Londoners would not even have been in trouble but for the docking of 10 points by the Football League for entering administration.

Irvine, whose side won only one of the their final 12 games, said: "Relegation is a very difficult thing to experience. I feel bitterly disappointed for the fans as well as everyone else who has been involved.

"Now we have to try to move on and hopefully give the fans a team they will be proud of in the future.

"All I can say to the fans is we won't leave anything to chance. We will never be accused of not working hard and doing everything we possibly can do to be successful.

"Anybody who knows the way we work would agree with that. I can't make any promises to the fans other than that they will get total commitment."

The Owls equalised twice during a game that was shown live on BBC1. Palace took the lead through Alan Lee but Leon Clarke levelled for the Owls just before the interval.

The striker kicked an advertising hoarding during his goal celebration and suffered a toe injury that ended his involvement.

"He has apologised and said it was a stupid thing to do and I agreed with him," said Irvine diplomatically.

Although Darren Ambrose restored Palace's lead midway through the second half, Owls captain Darren Purse netted in the 87th minute to set up a tense finale.

Despite frantic pressure, however, the Owls were unable to score the goal that would have kept them in the Championship.

"Today's game was probably fairly typical of how we have been during my time in charge," said Irvine.

"We had enough pressure and enough chances to have won the game and the opposition went up the park and scored a goal very much against the run of play. It gave us a mountain to climb but we almost managed to climb it.

"One of the big things I said to the players before kick-off was 'have no regrets about how you go about your job today. Make sure you give absolutely everything'.

"People make mistakes, miss chances, and make bad decisions at times but the effort, commitment and determination was there. To come back from a couple of hammer blows like we did was something that the players should be credited for. But we are still bitterly disappointed."

Assessing the impact of relegation, Irvine said: "There will be some changes without doubt. What the full impact has, I don't know because I have not discussed that with the chairman yet as we have been fighting to get safe from the day I came.

"My squad is not big and within that we have three players on loan who will go back to their parent clubs and eight players out of contract. There are a lot of decisions to be made.

"All the players will know this week who is being offered contracts and who is not. It will be a busy summer and we will get to work straight away.

"We have to move on and sort things out for the benefit of the club. I can't base decisions on emotions.

"I will have to lift myself and do the job in a professional manner," he stressed. "Sometimes you have to put on a mask to hide your emotion and find the best way to deal with things. If you do it well enough, you become a good manager, if you don't you probably lose your job."

Neither Irvine nor Palace manager Paul Hart were able to comment on the post-match crowd trouble as both had headed for the changing rooms once fans started running onto the pitch

Palace defender Clint Hill was caught up in the trouble and was struck by Wednesday supporters as he attempted to get back to the tunnel.