By Ollie Irish
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The most exciting match of the weekend saw Sheffield Wednesday host Crystal Palace, with the Owls needing a win to survive. Palace needed only a point, and that is exactly what they got, after a thrilling encounter at Hillsborough (shame about the fighting between fans afterwards). Well done to Paul Hart and his team, commiserations to Alan Irvine and the blue half of Sheffield.
A powerful header by Alan Lee put Palace in front midway through the first half, before a superb Leon Clarke curler made it 1-1 just before half-time; Clarke then had to leave the field on a stretcher as he bust a toe in kicking the ad hoardings in celebration (doh). A composed Darren Ambrose finish all but guaranteed Palace’s survival, though Darren Purse’s 87th-minute equliser gave the Owls hope. In the end I think justice was done – Palace had the better chances and looked more incisive up front, despite good spells of possession for the hosts.
But will cash-strapped Palace even be around next season? If the CPFC 2010 consortium doesn’t rescue the Eagles, there’s still a slim chance that Wednesday could earn a reprieve.