Patience will be key as Northants target historic win over Lancashire at Old Trafford

The County followed up their excellent batting performance to bowl out their the hosts out for 228, and then reduce the Red Rose to 126 for two in their second innings after enforcing the follow-on.

Loan signing Calvin Harrison has enjoyed a superb Northants debut so far, claiming five wickets and also hitting a half-century with the bat, and his leg-spin is sure to be crucial on day four.

Lancashire will resume on Monday (11am) still needing a further 144 runs to avoid an innings defeat, and Northants all-rounder Justin Broad, who claimed three for 59 in Lancashire's first innings and also claimed two excellent catches, says it is all about being patient as they chase a first win of the season.

“The boys were obviously disappointed against Kent and to come to Old Trafford against a strong Lancashire side for the first three days to be on top is really nice," said Broad.

"Obviously, we've got a big day coming up, so hopefully we can finish the job off.

“It was quite nice that they put us in. And obviously, having Calvin (Harrison) here is great. He's bowled really nicely with a lot of control.

“We've kept them at a very low run rate and stayed really patient. The guys have done really well.

“It's 23 overs to the new ball and hopefully we can take a few there. It's all about staying patient, really.

"Things can happen quickly, but it's a wicket where you've got to put the grind in.

“We've got a full day to get eight wickets and hopefully we can do that.”

It could well be a grind for Northants, as Lancashire have set their stall out to dig in, taking up 57 overs to reach 126 in their second innings.

Harrison claiming the wicket of stubborn skipper Keaton Jennings late on day three could prove to be a crucial moment for Northants, as the former England man had batted for more than three hours and taken up 133 balls for his 49. He also made 96 in the first innings.

Josh Bohannon is still at the crease on 67 not out from 175 balls, while Anderson Phillips is yet to get off the mark despite facing 28 deliveries.

Jennings has not been happy with his side's performance with the bat, but believes they are capable of batting long enough on the final day to secure a draw.

“I think we let ourselves down first thing with the bat," said Jennings, referring to the home side collapsing from 207 for five to 228 all out.

"You can't look at too many of those dismissals and say it was bowler perfection at all.

“We made errors with the bat and put ourselves under pressure, so we had to fight back. We're in a nice position coming into the last day. It's still a good surface.

"There's a bit of spin, but I don't think there's a huge amount of demons in the surface.

“We've got batters in the line-up that can go and bat long periods of time. That, I guess, is the message.

“I think when you mess up as badly as we did in the first innings, I think you put yourself under pressure and you lose the right to take the game on to a degree.

“We know what's in front of us now. We have to bat the day. We have to be tough and resilient and go about it in a really professional manner. There's different ways of doing it.

"For Josh (Bohannon), and myself, it was about occupying the crease and making it tough to get out.

“I think from the position we were in, a draw is definitely a good result, but I think we need to make sure we're playing better cricket for periods of time. You can't keep coming into fixtures and trying to scrap out a draw.”

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Quotes courtesy of Ken Grime