Stoke City's battle to avoid relegation will go down to the final game of the season after a 1-0 defeat by managerless Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.

Tony Pulis' side required just a point to ensure Brighton, 4-0 winners at home to Watford, were relegated.

But City now face promotion-hopefuls Reading at the Britannia Stadium next Sunday while Brighton, who have a healthier goal difference, travel to relegated Grimsby.

Substitute Dele Adebola settled a drab affair with eight minutes left with his seventh goal of the season to boost the chances of joint caretaker-managers Steve Kember and Terry Bullivant claiming the post on a permanent basis.

Prior to that, Stoke were grateful to on-loan Middlesbrough goalkeeper Mark Crossley for keeping them on level terms.

After a quiet opening, the game burst into life in the 13th minute. Danny Butterfield unleashed a drive from the edge of the box which the Wales international turned away for a corner.

From the resulting kick, Crossley was again called into action, denying Riverside Stadium team-mate Noel Whelan, back in the starting line-up after a foot injury.

Stoke, knowing a point would have seen First Division football guaranteed at the Britannia Stadium next season, failed to test Palace's Latvian goalkeeper Alex Kolinko in the whole of the first half.

They finally registered their first shot on goal in the 53rd minute and it so nearly rewarded them with an opener, Andy Cooke's strike being well kept out by Kolinko.

But their gameplan was thrown in disarray by Adebola's strike and now they must go through a nail-biting last 90 minutes of the campaign next Sunday to determine their fate.

Crystal Palace: Kolinko, Powell (Thomson 25), Popovic, Mullins, Butterfield, Routledge, Derry, Watson, Black, Freedman, Whelan (Adebola 40).

Subs Not Used: Granville, Cronin, Borrowdale.

Goals: Adebola 82.

Stoke: Crossley, Thomas, Handyside, Shtaniuk, Williams (Goodfellow 87), Marcus Hall, Gunnarsson, O'Connor, Clarke, Cooke (Warhurst 87), Greenacre (Iwelumo 72).

Subs Not Used: Hoekstra, Banks.

Att: 16,064

Ref: T Parkes (Birmingham).