Goals from substitutes Fausto Rossini and Mauro Minelli ensured the Sicilians prevailed but Chievo would have still stayed up had any of their other three relegation rivals - Siena, Reggina and Parma - slipped up.

A glance at the table at the start of play would have suggested that Chievo were the most unlikely team to join Ascoli and Messina in Serie B of the five still in contention to go down.

But while Siena, Reggina and Parma were all playing and would beat teams who had already achieved their objectives for the season, Chievo were playing a Catania team that had to win to be sure of staying up.

The Sicilians kept their nerve and Chievo drop to Serie B under the leadership of Luigi Del Neri, the man who inspired their fabled climb to the top flight back in 2001.

Del Neri turned Chievo into an established Serie A force with the minnows even topping the division for six weeks in their first campaign.

He quit the club in 2004 for ill-fated spells at Porto, Roma and Palermo - at Porto he was appointed as successor to Jose Mourinho but was dismissed before the club played a competitive game under his command.

Del Neri returned to Chievo this season with the club already deep in trouble but was unable to save the Flying Donkeys, so named because when an amateur club their supporters had to endure songs from Verona fans who would sing "When Chievo play in Serie A, donkeys will fly".

Chievo had started the match well and after nine minutes Paolo Sammarco fired in a tremendous shot from the edge of the box with Armando Pantanelli in the Catania goal saving at full stretch.

Chievo striker Franco Semioli, who narrowly missed a place in Marcello Lippi's Italy World Cup winning squad last season but has had a dreadful season this term, then volleyed a shot that hit Vinicio Cesar and went for a corner.

Catania have been forced to play away from their Sicilian home since the death of policeman Filippo Raciti in February during crowd violence and had been forced to play this game in Bologna.

They first threatened after 27 minutes when Marco Biagianti fired over with Chievo goalkeeper Lorenzo Squizzi left exposed.

Squizzi then foiled Giorgio Corona who had been freed by midfielder Davide Baiocco who had passed a late fitness test.

As the second half started, Catania were looking the most likely team to go down with Parma, Siena and Reggina all winning and a draw good enough for Chievo.

The roof started to fall in on Chievo after 65 minutes.

Giorgio Lucenti crossed and Rossini outjumped Chievo substitute Cesare Rickler to head the opener.

Victor Obinna missed a chance to pull Chievo level and then Federico Cossato just failed to get a decisive touch to a Michele Marcolini free-kick.

News that Lazio had equalised against Siena gave Chievo's fans hope of an escape but when Minelli connected with his right foot to a Juan Vargas free-kick to make it 2-0 to Catania they must have feared the worst.

When it emerged that Siena had retaken the lead against Lazio, Chievo once again were in the relegation berth.

Events elsewhere failed to save them and the final whistle signalled a fall to earth for the Flying Donkeys.