Derby County midfielder Max Bird has claimed the club can still avoid relegation this season. 

The club are bottom of the Championship, largely due to a 21-point deduction placed on the club for going into administration. 

However, Wayne Rooney’s side have clawed their way back into survival contention following a recent spell of good form. 

The Rams are now 11-points away from 21st place Reading, with still the second half of the season to come. 

"We believe we can do it - the fans certainly believe we can do it," said Bird, via the BBC. 

Derby have picked up 10 points from their last four league games, bringing them to 11 points in the league table. 

"We know where we are, we can't change that, we can't do anything about it," Bird added.

"We're going to take each game as it comes, work as hard on the training field as we can, we're going to go out every single Saturday - or whenever it is - and give it 100% and leave it all on the pitch.

"That's all we can do, we can't worry about anything else, we can't worry about fixtures down the line, we have to take it day by day."

The club are still looking for a prospective owner, with Mike Ashley’s name the latest thrown into the ring as a potential candidate to buy the club. 

Derby’s league campaign resumes, following their FA Cup exit last weekend, with a home game against Sheffield United on January 15. The Blades are 13th in the Championship, but are in the middle of a four game winning run. 

The Verdict

There is a lot of belief coming out of Derby County recently, their recent form will be the reason for that. 

A new owner coming in before the end of January will be crucial in giving them a fighting chance of pulling off one of the all time great escape acts. 

However, it should be emphasised just how difficult it will be to overcome this situation, especially if no owner is brought in this month. 

Anything is possible, but overhauling an 11 point gap will still take an incredible run of form going into the second half of the campaign.