When you have waited 113 years for something what difference is another week going to make?

The Sussex players wanted to clinch the first Championship in the club's history at Old Trafford on Saturday, but outside the dressing room the majority of their supporters probably feel a bit differently.

Around 200 supporters were in Manchester hoping to see history made, but those who had travelled up just for the last day against Lancashire on Saturday journeyed more in hope than expectation.

Already two wickets down and still needing 170 runs to make Lancashire bat again, it would have taken an outstanding effort by the Sussex batsmen on a wearing pitch offering turn for slow left-armer Gary Keedy.

Sure enough, Keedy took his second five-wicket haul of the match and Sussex's biggest defeat of the season, by an innings and 19 runs, was confirmed at 3.20pm.

Now Sussex have the opportunity to wrap things up in front of their own supporters at Hove against Leicestershire, starting on Wednesday.

At the start of the season, if someone had offered skipper Chris Adams a 16 point lead going into the final game against a side already relegated at a ground where Sussex have won four and drawn one of their previous five games he would have been delighted.

Six points is all they need. It does not sound much, just one more solid batting and bowling performance and maybe some luck with the toss.

But to get them Sussex must quickly rediscover their instinct for playing attacking cricket which got them into this position in the first place but which seem to have been forgotten at Old Trafford.

Adams admitted: "We were looking to gather points rather than take them on with the tenacity we've shown all season."

Batsman Tony Cottey, the only player in the side with Championship-winning experience, warmed to Adams' theme.

He said: "We weren't as aggressive as we have been all season in the field. Because we lost over a day to rain in the first two days the game had the feeling of a draw going into the third day and we went into our shell a bit just looking to bat out time which was always going to be difficult on that pitch because it deteriorated quite quickly."

There is no doubt Sussex will be glad to be on familiar territory as they look to make history. It was not quite the bear pit visiting teams tend to experience at the other Old Trafford, but Lancashire were desperate to avenge their only defeat of the season at Hove last month when they felt several marginal decisions went Sussex's way.

The opposite was the case in the return match, notably the leg before decision which cost Murray Goodwin his wicket after he had added to his unbeaten hundred in the first innings with a valiant 57.

Lancashire skipper Warren Hegg is convinced his side are the best in the country and they might still be celebrating their first outright title since 1934 were Sussex to slip up while they took maximum points from their final game against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge.

Adams admitted his side were second best. "Lancashire played exceptional cricket on a pitch which faded rapidly," he said.

"We lost wickets at crucial times throughout the day, a couple to the pitch and a couple to silly shots like Matt Prior who got out to a full toss when he was well set. But if things went our way at Hove then they were turned around here."

Adams and Cottey negotiated the first hour without alarm before John Wood made the breakthrough for the second time in the match.

Wood had broken the back of Sussex's first innings with 3-9 on Friday. Now he surprised Adams with extra bounce and the ball flew to point off the splice. In his next over Tim Ambrose prodded a well directed lifter to short leg.

Either side of lunch Cottey was caught at silly point sweeping against Keedy's spin while Robin Martin-Jenkins paid the price for not getting forward to a ball from Peter Martin which kept low.

Goodwin, who came in with a headband protecting his cut eye, raised hopes by surviving for 13 overs with Prior.

Prior duly got the four runs he needed to reach 1,000 for the season, but after establishing himself he swatted a Keedy full toss to mid on and when Goodwin, whose 57 was made in over two hours of defiance, departed despite getting a big stride forward to Keedy, Stretford's off licence owners knew their stocks of champagne were safe.

Mushtaq Ahmed and Mark Davis soon followed as Keedy completed a match haul of 10-166. What odds would you have got on that happening while Mushtaq would have to wait until the final match to claim his 100th wicket of the season?

Don't underestimate how much home advantage means or how determined the mood among Adams and his players is to make history and do so with a bit of style later this week.

"After finishing second seven times I get the feeling that a lot of people in the game want us to win it," said Adams.

"We've played good cricket all year and we will make sure we get it right for the last game and enjoy the moment."

Scores: Lancashire 450-6 dec (Law 163 not out, Loye 144); Sussex 251 (Goodwin 118 not out, Mushtaq Ahmed 54, Keedy 5-106) and 180 (Goodwin 57, Keedy 5-61).

Lancashire (22pts) beat Sussex (4pts) by an innings and 19 runs.