Even towards the end yesterday, as the inevitability of relegation drew closer, Scunthorpe United’s exhausted players were still contesting possession, still chasing down lost causes. Not once did the industry and relentless professionalism that has been the hallmark of their first season in the second tier of English football after a 43-year absence desert them. Sadly, though, when it truly mattered over the course of the campaign, this was simply not good enough, as just four victories in their past 31 league matches illustrates.

The gap from safety is nine points, with three matches remaining, but because their nearest rivals, Sheffield Wednesday and Leicester City, are scheduled to play each other, this defeat confirmed their demotion to League One. Their brief sojourn among such lofty company has not been without its moments but it was always going to be a difficult task, especially given the size of their squad and lack of income to attract better players.

“The work rate and commitment of the team all season has been remarkable,” observed manager Nigel Adkins. “The players should be commended. They are a well-organised, hard-working outfit. Our emotions are quite mixed. We have worked very hard behind the scenes to achieve the impossible — in reality we didn’t do that. We’ll sit down in the summer, review the season, learn the lessons and move forward. We’ve had some fantastic experiences this year.”

The opening goal was symbolic of their desperate plight. Up against genuine pace in winger Scott Sinclair, who ran unchallenged across the field in the build-up, and clever trickery in Victor Moses, who had the beating of right-back Cliff Byrne all afternoon, Scunthorpe offered little defensive solidity — and few ideas on how to cope with the immediate threat. Once Moses had gained the necessary space on the left-hand flank to whip in his cross, midfielder Tom Soares simply applied the finish, right-footed from six yards, for his fourth goal of the season.

Given Moses’s exceptional contribution before he was substituted because of a groin injury — “he was something special, wasn’t he?” remarked Adkins — it is no surprise that his manager Neil Warnock has tried his hardest to play down any external pressure on the 17-year-old. His promising talent was once again on show as he comfortably beat Byrne on 39 minutes, inside the penalty area, to pick out Clinton Morrison with his cross.

For the Republic of Ireland striker, who headed the ball past goalkeeper Joe Murphy from close range, it was only his second successful strike in the past 14 matches — and in front of his international manager Giovanni Trapattoni — so perhaps he could be forgiven for his subsequent moment of spontaneous, if not foolish, celebration as he whipped off his shirt and ran wildly towards the crowd.

“Just three great challenges left — hopefully six,” said Warnock, as Palace consolidated their position in the playoffs.

In top scorer Martin Paterson, the focal point for nearly every attack, Scunthorpe possess their most prominent asset, but if you actually analyse the number of shots on target accrued by the visitors, his services were made redundant.

When the final whistle was blown, the Scunthorpe players wearily and slowly left the field, thanking the 400-plus supporters who had made the tortuous journey to south London, for just the second time in the club’s history. Every drop of sweat had been given; in the end, though, it was just not enough.

Star man: Victor Moses (Palace)

Player ratings: Crystal Palace: Speroni 7, Butterfield 7, Fonte 7, Hudson 7, Hill 7, Watson 7, Derry 7 (Fletcher 78 min), Sinclair 7, Soares 7, Moses 8 (Scannell 66 min), Morrison 7 (Robinson 83 min)
Scunthorpe United: Murphy 6, Byrne 5, Iriekpen 6, Butler 6, Williams 6, Morris 6, Goodwin 6, McCann 6 (Hayes 62 min), Forte 7, Horsfield 5 (Weston 71 min), Paterson 7

Scorers: Crystal Palace: Soares, Morrison

Referee: K Hill

Attendance: 15,975