Nineteen days. That is all it has taken for Portsmouth to transform from relegation candidates into genuine play-off hopefuls, at least in spirit if not yet in cold probability. After losing the south coast derby 1-0 at Southampton on 11 October, Pompey sat 19th in the Championship and braced themselves for another brutal winter at the wrong end of the table. What followed was a four-game unbeaten run — three wins and a draw — that has propelled John Mousinho's side up to 11th, sitting just two points outside the top eight.

The numbers give the turnaround real context. Portsmouth are already five points better off than they were at this stage last season, and a full ten points ahead of where they stood at the same point the season before. According to Opta, they are in their highest position in the football league system after more than five games of a season since March 2011. That is not a trivial footnote; it is a marker of genuine progress under Mousinho.

Daring to dream

Forward Adrian Segecic has given voice to what supporters are quietly daring to think. "We can definitely achieve where we want to be — play-offs and competing at the top of the table," he told BBC Radio Solent. "There's no reason we shouldn't believe we can, and we have shown it now. We have to just keep performing and believing. I think belief is the biggest thing about us, and with hard work I definitely feel like it can push us to the top."

It would be easy to dismiss that as dressing-room boilerplate, but the example of Hull City hangs over this conversation usefully. The Tigers finished 21st in the Championship — surviving on goal difference on the final day — and then won promotion to the Premier League the following season after sneaking into the play-offs. If that template is possible, Portsmouth need not be embarrassed about dreaming a little.

The immediate test is a trip to Burnley on Saturday. A positive result there would do more than add three points; it would sharpen the belief across the squad that this is a side capable of sustaining a challenge, not merely enjoying a brief purple patch.

That said, it is only late October. The Championship has a habit of humbling sides who peak too early, and Portsmouth's squad depth has been stretched by injury this season. The cautious reading is that Pompey are a mid-table side in form; the optimistic one is that they are a play-off side finding their level. The next six weeks will settle which argument is closer to the truth.

Derby still searching for a way out

While Portsmouth ride the wave, Derby County remain rooted in a far grimmer reality. John Eustace's side have endured a miserable start to the campaign, and the injury problems that have plagued their defensive options have made building any kind of consistency close to impossible. The table does not flatter them: they are still looking up at almost everyone.

Derby's situation is compounded by the fact that the sides around them have not been especially convincing either. In a Championship season where no team has yet pulled clear at the top, the gap between the relegation places and mid-table remains bridgeable in theory. But theory requires points, and the Rams have found those desperately hard to accumulate.

Eustace retains the backing of owner David Clowes, which matters — managerial instability rarely helps a side climb out of trouble — but patience from the stands is being tested. The question is whether Derby's squad, thinned by injury and suspension, has enough quality to spark the kind of run that Portsmouth have just managed.

A tale of two clubs

The contrasting fortunes of Portsmouth and Derby capture something essential about the Championship at this stage of the season: the table is fragile, momentum is everything, and a fortnight of results can shift a club's entire outlook. Pompey know that better than most, having lived at the bottom long enough to appreciate how quickly things can change in either direction.

What neither club can afford is complacency — Pompey about sustaining their form, Derby about the scale of the task ahead. The division will not wait for either of them.

Frequently asked

Are Portsmouth in the Championship play-off places?
Not yet, but they are close. After a four-game unbeaten run, Portsmouth sit 11th in the Championship, just two points outside the top eight as of late October.
Why are Derby County struggling in the Championship this season?
Derby have been hit hard by injuries, particularly in defence, which has made it difficult to build any consistency. They remain near the bottom of the Championship table with John Eustace continuing to manage the club.
Who is Portsmouth's manager in the Championship?
John Mousinho is Portsmouth's manager. He has guided the club through their recent four-game unbeaten run that lifted them to 11th in the Championship.