Derby County have been handed a huge boost to their chances of playing Championship football at Pride Park next season.

What's the latest?

That's according to a claim made by BBC Sport journalist Simon Stone, who revealed in a post on Twitter that the written reasons for the £100k fine handed to Derby by an independent disciplinary commission are yet to be published, meaning that neither the English Football League nor the Rams can appeal the verdict at present.

Once the reasons are published, each party will have 14 days to appeal the decision, a process that, once begun, could drag on for a considerable amount of time.

Rooney will be relieved

With the threat of relegation to League One as a result of a points deduction appearing very real following the EFL's publishing of interchangeable Championship and League One 2021/22 fixture lists that featured Derby and Wycombe Wanderers playing in both the second and third tier of English football, Stone's latest update is sure to have left Rooney relieved.

Indeed, with the start of next season edging closer day by day, the likelihood of the independent disciplinary commission reaching a verdict from either a Derby or EFL appeal before August 7th seems faint, at best.

As such, it would appear as if Rooney can now tentatively begin planning his side's campaign in the Championship next season, as well as offering incoming signings the relative assurance that they will be playing their football in the second tier rather than the third - something that will provide the 35-year-old with a boost regarding the calibre of players he can attempt bring into the club.

Having said this, Derby's fate is by no means 100% certain just yet, but Stone's latest update would appear to be a small bit of positive news for everyone involved with the club.

In other news: Get him gone: Rooney must ruthlessly axe £18k-p/w Derby County "maverick" this summer