The end of an error - Jewell must lift his side after season of calamity

This is the prize Bristol City, Stoke, Hull and others are fighting over — the chance to play the fall guys, only able to affect the top of the table by virtue of the number of goals conceded.

Stuffed by six at Liverpool, five at Arsenal, conceding six at Chelsea, Derby recovered to soak up the applause by only losing 1-0 at home to Manchester United. Is it what supporters want to watch? Is it really worth the effort? It is, according to manager Paul Jewell.

He said: "People look down their noses at Hull and Bristol City but why shouldn't they be in the Premier League? Those players are at the top of their League. Don't kill the dream.

"Getting beaten every week is horrible, but I'd say to the players you're there because you deserve it.

"I was part of a dream like that at Wigan and everyone laughed at the thought of us in the Premier League, saying: "Go back where you belong". We ended up 10th and reached a cup final.

"It can be done. It takes good coaching, planning, players, recruitment and a little bit of luck."

This is the point when expectation levels change for Jewell. No one really thought he would escape relegation, taking over a team with six points from 14 games, but he will be expected to bring them straight back.

"There's no guarantees but I'm more determined than ever,' said Jewell, who received the full backing of chairman Adam Pearson after a torrid week when relegation followed revelations about his private life, when scenes from a homemade sex video appeared in the papers.

There will be more embarrassing footage if Derby decide to release a DVD of a season when they became the first club relegated from the Premier League before the clocks went forward. They have won once in 32 games and that was more than six months ago. Goal difference is minus 51.

"You think you can turn it round overnight but the rot had set in and maybe I should have been firmer,' said Jewell. 'I tried to get the right players in the transfer window but it was always difficult. I made mistakes."

Derby, for once, were not mismatched against Fulham and deserved their point. Emanuel Villa gave them a 10th-minute lead, diverting a shot from Dean Leacock past Kasey Keller with his knee, but Diomansy Kamara was unmarked to head an equaliser before the break.

Fulham stole into the lead for two minutes when Hameur Bouazza's shot hit Leacock and looped over Roy Carroll but Villa's second, a powerful header from Mile Sterjovski's cross, denied the Londoners their first away win for 18 months. It is hard not to see this as a Championship fixture next season. Fulham are six points from safety but boss Roy Hodgson remains in denial.

'We don't accept relegation,' said Hodgson. 'There are six games to play and if we can win some, we can get back in there. From the spirit I've seen today, and the chances we created, and the desire we showed, I still believe we can do it.

'This match was a worthy Premier League game and 33,000 will go away very satisfied with what they've seen. I'm not prepared to concede we should have won at a canter because I don't regard Derby as a bad team. I thought they were quite good, to be honest.'