Championship relegation battle: Luton Town and Derby County seek to survive

By Chris Dunlavy

When Portsmouth beat Leeds United 1-0 a fortnight ago, John Mousinho’s side surged ten points clear of the drop zone.

Yet seven days later that gap had been slashed to just four as a week of upsets and shock results blew the relegation battle wide open.

Derby County, Plymouth Argyle and Luton Town currently occupy the relegation places in the Championship.

However, with a host of clubs still yet to secure their safety, the relegation fight could be set to go down to the wire.

DOGFIGHT: From left, Plymouth’s Maksym Talovierov, Luton’s Thelo Aasgaard, Derby’s Marcus Harness and Hull’s Joe Gelhardt
PICTURES: Alamy

Dead and buried

Plymouth’s dogged refusal to go quietly is admirable but it’s impossible to make a case for the Pilgrims.

Despite improvements in every department under Miron Muslic (and an unforgettable FA Cup run), the fag end of Wayne Rooney’s seven-month reign left him with too much to do.

By the time the Bosnian took charge in January, Plymouth were bottom of the league, winless in 11 games and had suffered an array of humiliating hidings en route to a goal difference of -29.

The January signings of Nikola Katic and Maksym Talovierov instantly made Plymouth more solid but wins remain scarce and a thin squad looks dog tired after a gruelling season.

The fat lady is limbering up.

Up against it

Luton looked a lost cause at the start of the month but have shaken off the longest relegation hangover in history to unexpectedly rise from the grave.

Having failed to notch a win in the opening stages of 2025, the Hatters have now taken seven points from the last four and – unlike Plymouth – possess the quality and experience to sustain the fight.

That is easier said than done, especially with a fixture list that contains four of the current top seven.

Nevertheless, trips to Hull City, Stoke City and Derby in the next three away games mean Luton’s fate is just about in their own hands.

Thelo Aasgaard, signed from Wigan Athletic in January, will be key.

Still in trouble

Stoke have flirted with disaster for years but are now perilously close to going all the way after another shambolic season in the Potteries.

“I think they’re good enough, they’re really capable players,” said Mark Robins, Stoke’s third manager of the campaign.

They certainly are, but an expensively-assembled squad must prove its quality soon or the Potters are bang in trouble.

Much like Stoke, the spectre of relegation has loomed over Cardiff City for a long time.

Omer Riza, this season’s lamb to the slaughter – sorry, head coach – says the Bluebirds have “eight finals” to pull off another escape act and, with the exception of a trip to Sheffield United, all of them are winnable.

Beat Stoke (Apr 12) and Oxford United (Apr 21) at home and Cardiff supporters can look forward to doing it all over again next year.

Though third bottom, Derby are the one team in the entire relegation scrap with genuine momentum.

After a slow start under John Eustace, the Rams have now won three on the spin, powered by an unlikely run of three goals in two games from on-loan Ipswich winger Marcus Harness.

Keep it up, and a final-day showdown at home to Stoke may not even matter.

All but safe

Though not mathematically safe, Preston North End and Queens Park Rangers will both pick up enough points between now and the end of the season.

But can the same be said of Swansea?

An awful campaign for the Swans imploded last month when manager Luke Williams publicly aired long-standing recruitment problems, laying the groundwork for his subsequent departure.

Alan Sheehan is now in interim charge of a ship drifting aimlessly towards the rocks and with Leeds United and Burnley to come immediately after the international break, danger remains.

That just leaves Portsmouth, Oxford and Hull, a trio of teams who at various points this season have looked doomed, only to discover a second wind.

Of the three, Hull are probably in the best shape.

Unbeaten in four, the Tigers have an in-form Joe Gelhardt finding the net, a squad that is far too good to be in a relegation battle and games against all of the teams around them.

Oxford’s 1-0 victory over Watford last weekend ended a grisly run of nine games without a win but their terrible away record, coupled with home games against Sheffield United, Leeds and Sunderland, makes for a nervy run-in.

And Pompey? John Mousinho’s side have battled a crippling injury list for the whole season yet have developed a fine knock of winning crunch games.

Home fixtures against Derby and Hull (the latter on the final day) emphatically fall into that category.

Win those, and a place in the Championship will be all but guaranteed.