Early on Wednesday I decided to try and work out a scenario where the Rams could achieve automatic promotion.

In doing this, I was looking for an answer that did not involve having to wait until next season. I looked at the clubs and their points, and what fixtures they all had remaining; what slipups could reasonably be hoped for, and how many points all of us could end up with.

I did manage to come up with an almost plausible scenario; it was not at all likely, but it could just about happen. There was just one glaring weakness: it all depended on Nottingham Forest beating Watford on Wednesday evening. Any other result than a Forest win, and it was pretty much all over.

The supreme irony for a Rams fan; for the first time in my life I wanted Forest to win. But it was not to be, was it? New Forest manager Dougie Freedman turned out not to be quite the miracle worker, and they went down 3-1.

Some will argue that there is still a mathematical chance for the Rams to finish in one of the two automatic spots, but realistically it will not happen this season; there are too many teams needing too few points to prevent it.

Although the Rams’ recent fallibility put the top 6 in doubt at one point, the playoffs are now looking a different matter. The Rams should certainly qualify, and could take a big step this weekend.

With the return of Will Hughes from suspension, the Rams should look more like their old selves again. We can reasonably expect a win at Huddersfield, and any result in the match between Wolves and Ipswich helps us.

But how did it come to this? As recently as late February the Rams seemed to be carrying all before them at the top of the table, with no apparent need to worry too much about the likes of Bournemouth, Norwich, Watford or Middlesbrough.

Now here we are trying to work out the maths for us to reach the playoffs. More and more I find myself being irritated that a club like Bournemouth, with “crowds” of 11,000 and no football tradition are sitting at the top of the table; while the Rams, with crowds of 30,000 and a great football tradition are trailing in their wake.

If Steve Bloomer really is watching, then I suggest he has a right to be more than just a little upset.

And the fans who make up those big home crowds and loyally travel in huge numbers to the least enticing away games are entitled to demand something much better than they have been treated to lately.

The least the fans should expect the rest of this season is that the Rams should make the playoffs; and once there, should make a very strong showing.

Photo: Action Images

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