DERBY AC endured another frustrating day on the home track at Moorways when they finished last of six teams in their third Northern Track & Field League match of the season.
A number of good quality individual displays lit up the day but could not stop the team from slipping close to relegation with one meeting to go.
After being promoted last season, they are second from bottom of Division One.
Blackburn Harriers & AC, who had been adrift at the bottom, are still behind them but not by much after managing to come third at Derby.
Among Derby's men at the meeting, reliable throwers Jason Robinson and Ryan Winson contributed two wins each, Robinson in the hammer and shot, Winson in the javelin and B string shot.
There was also a notable performance from Derby veteran Barry Hawksworth.
Called up to do the B string hammer, Hawksworth, who is 67, threw a new British record 34.90 metres for his age group and came second.
Among the women, Derby called up Heanor RC's Derby 10K winner Lisa Palmer as a second claim athlete and she delivered a win by more than five seconds in the 1500m.
Kate Would won the 400m and was second in the 200m, while Steph Spencer won the B string 3000m.
Elsewhere around the track and field, however, Derby missed the points heptathlete Suzzi Palmer would no doubt have piled up across several events and it would take a big effort now to make their stay in Division One last any longer than the one season.
