As the anticipated table displays the magic number to beat the drop, Derby County’s task is exposed.

Everyone at Derby County is currently wondering where they will get their next victory and,

perhaps more importantly, how many points they will need to stay in the game.

Although 50 points is typically thought of as the magic number that ensures survival,

Birmingham City showed last season that this was insufficient as they fell down the trapdoor into League One.

With 51 points, Plymouth finished fourth from the bottom as the Blues dropped,

followed by Rotherham (27 points) and Huddersfield (45 points).

Since no team has required to reach half a century to stay up in the last four seasons,

that campaign appeared to be a matrix error.

Cardiff maintained their lead with 49 points in the 2022–2023 season as Reading,

Blackpool, and Reading fell into League One. Additionally,

just 41 points were required to survive in the 2021–2022 season when Derby

was eliminated due to two point deductions.

Reading defeated the drop on that particular occasion, and it was 44 in the season before that,

which was played behind closed doors because of COVID.

Derby supporters will have a vivid memory of the 2020–21 season,

as they stayed up late thanks to a thrilling 3–3 match against Sheffield Wednesday on the final day.

The fact that Barnsley almost survived with 49 points in the

2019–20 season helps you comprehend the kind of numbers Derby needs to be.