Cardiff City have fallen into the Championship relegation zone and have just seven matches in which to make their escape.
The slip happened without them even kicking a ball and came on Wednesday night after Derby County beat Preston 2-0 to leapfrog both Hull City and the Bluebirds.
The Rams’ win lifted them up to 20th in the table, above Hull on goal difference, and one point above Cardiff who are now in the bottom three.
The Bluebirds also have a worse goal difference than both Hull and Derby as well as all the other clubs above them who are at risk of relegation.
Omer Riza’s side face a tricky visit to QPR on Saturday, where a victory could yet propel them back out of the drop zone, depending on other results.
Alternatively, a defeat could leave them four points adrift with just six games remaining.
Cardiff have actually taken four points from their last two matches, but their form over the last six games cannot match that of either Hull or Derby.
The Tigers have managed eight points in that period - one more than the Bluebirds - whilst Derby have gathered an impressive 12 points from four successive victories.
After losing his opening three matches as manager, John Eustace has turned the Rams' fortunes around and on Wednesday led them to that fourth straight win to secure their longest winning run since July 2020.
Craig Forsyth and Swansea City’s on loan striker Jerry Yates did the damage as both scored at the start of the second half.
Milutin Osmajic ought to have given Preston the lead with the very first attack of the game but Derby caught their opponents cold with a quick-fire double after a forgettable first half.
Two goals in four minutes courtesy of Forsyth's opener and Yates' eighth goal of the season dealt North End a sucker punch they could not recover from and took Derby above the dotted line for the first time since February.
Derby boss Eustace said: “We grew into the game, the first half when we won the ball we needed to be better in the final third.
"I was confident coming in at half-time if we stuck to the game plan the second half would open up.
"It was important when we won the ball back that we kept the ball better. The work the group and staff are putting in is there for everyone to see.
"I thought we deserved the win. We were up against a solid Championship team full of Championship experience, excellent manager, so we knew it was going to be tight.
READ MORE: Omer Riza Points To Cardiff City’s Mentality As Reason For Dropped Points
"One of the reasons I came to the football club was the magnificent home support. It's close to 30,000 here every week.
"The fans are playing a huge part in what we are doing at the moment. I wanted to come here and create a family and togetherness that can help Derby in the future and I think we are starting to do that slowly.
"It's just important fans buy into what we are doing here. Derby's a fantastic football club and I'm here for the long term, not just the next two or three months."
