Where Derby County rank in the Championship's best attendances this season | OneFootball

Football League World has taken a look at where the Rams rank in terms of attendances this season.

On the pitch, Derby County have found life back in the Championship, but off it, supporters are continuing to back their team around the country and at home in droves.

The Rams are embroiled in a relegation scrap in the second tier, and they will need their fans to stay with them in the coming weeks and months if they are to turn this situation around. However, a run of drab performances and defeats is making it more difficult for that loyal and vocal support to stay buoyant.

Paul Warne hoped to bring in at least two new players on deadline day, but he was unable to and his final action as the manager of the club was to bring in Harrison Armstrong on loan from Everton.

Nevertheless, there has not been a drop in numbers at Pride Park in the stands and Football League World has taken a look at how Derby compare to the rest of the Championship in terms of average attendance this season.

Derby stand favourbly in the attendance table

While results have been poor for a long time, that has not stopped supporters from turning up to watch their team every other week.

Pride Park is the fifth-largest stadium by capacity in the second tier, with only Sunderland, Sheffield Wednesday, Leeds United and Middlesbrough able to hold more spectators at their respective grounds.

But, in terms of the number of supporters who turn up to watch the games, Derby are averaging more than two of those sides, and they rank third in the Championship table for average attendance.

The Rams are averaging 29,083 fans per game, while Sunderland and Leeds are the only sides in the division to consistently bring in crowds of over 30,000.

The Black Cats top the list with 38,546, with Daniel Farke's side second on 36,181. However, it must be stated that Derby do have a higher fill percentage than the Wearsiders.

Sheffield United and Coventry City complete the top five with average attendances of 28,038 and 27,241, while Oxford United prop up the table with 11,307.

Derby's support could be the difference in the run-in

Although times are tough at Pride Park at the moment, the Rams' spectacular support could prove to be the difference during the final months of the season, as it has been in the past.

During the 2021/22 campaign, the team and fans formed an unbelievable bond, and it nearly carried the club to survival despite a 21-point deduction for entering administration and breaking financial rules.

If the two can form a similar relationship ahead of the run-in, Pride Park would become the fortress that it is well-known for being once again.

However, performances do need to improve quickly to allow this opportunity to happen, otherwise another season in League One will be a reality for Derby - something that will only set the club back a few more years.