In what was their final away game of the season, Crystal Palace failed to add to their meagre tally of six wins on the road, succumbing 2-0 to Doncaster Rovers in an ultimately meaningless mid-table clash at the Keepmoat Stadium.

But as Palace manager Neil Warnock pointed out after the game, the Eagles could have been 4-0 up at half-time had the wood-work and poor finishing not come to the rescue of the South Yorkshire side.

Johannes Ertl, starting in midfield, was first to hit the frame when he crashed his header against Neil Sullivan’s left upright in the 21st minute.

Moments later Neil Danns was rattling the other post when he drove a shot against it from 18-yards.

Five minutes later Anthony Stokes cut in from the left flank to curl a lovely effort around Sullivan, only for the ball to once again hit the post and ping to safety.

Just prior to Stokes’ effort, Rovers had a reasonable shout for a penalty waved away after Kazenga Lua-Lua got goalside of Nathaniel Clyne, only to crumble in the box with the Palace defender on his back.

In fact, Lua-Lua gave the seemingly unflappable Clyne a good working-out with his pace and commitment.

With Stan Ternent in the stands apparently casting an eye over the Palace right-back for his old friend Steve Bruce, the speculation linking Clyne with a move to Wigan Athletic will no doubt continue.

Quite what Ternent thought of the current Palace side before him, compared to the 1989 vintage that he once helped coach when Steve Coppell’s number two is anyone’s guess. "You’ve got to take your chances" would probably have been one of Ternent’s more printable musings, for as the injury time board was being held up Dean Shiels latched onto Richie Wellens pass to slot the ball past Julian Speroni to give Rovers an unlikely 1-0 half-time lead.

It made Nick Carle’s 37th minute miss look all the more costly, when having been released by Clint Hill he shot wide with only Sullivan to beat.

After the break, Palace never really recovered from the sucker punch thrown 15 minutes earlier. Sean O’Driscoll’s men had their tails up as Warnock’s men laboured to get back in the game.

Stokes did tuck the ball into the net from close range in the 71st minute after great work by Clyne and Kieron Cadogan, but it was ruled out for offside.

Four minutes later, Rovers comfortably sealed all three points when James Hayter smashed home Waide Fairhurst’s low cross from the right to make it an unlucky thirteen away defeats in the league for Palace.

Crystal Palace Speroni, Clyne, Lawrence, McCarthy, Hill, Ertl, Carle (Cadogan 58), Danns, Rui Fonte (Hills 76), Stokes, Kuqi (Scowcroft 69).

Subs Not Used: Jose Fonte, Comley.