Coach Mark Robinson insists hard work is the only thing which will turn Sussex's season around.

The champions are reeling after suffering a two-day defeat at Canterbury against Kent on Thursday.

It was their second successive innings defeat in the Championship, something which has not happened since 1997 when they finished bottom of the table.

After a day off to lick their wounds, the squad will train at Hove today in preparation for Monday's Friends Provident Trophy game against Gloucestershire in Bristol.

Robinson admits his double-winners look vulnerable at the moment but refuses to use a difficult pre-season and injuries as an excuse for two below-par performances.

He said: "We are in a bad place at the moment. We got ourselves back on track last Sunday when we beat Somerset but when Rana Naved got injured on the first day against Kent you could just see the confidence ebbing out of us. We look vulnerable again.

"We can't afford to ignore the fact that we are not playing well at the moment but this is the same squad which won two trophies last year, including the Championship, and they haven't become bad players.

"It's a collective thing. We have to be stronger. It's easy to start pointing fingers. What we have to do is take a collective responsibility to put things right.

"Blame is the curse of professional sport. You can't ignore the fact that we are playing badly. We will just have to work that bit harder and be mentally stronger to turn the tide."

Rana will not play again until Sussex's next Championship match against Surrey, who have lost all three games so far, at Hove on May 17 after straining a stomach muscle.

Jason Lewry is out for at least a fortnight with a hip injury and suggestions that key batsman Mike Yardy could face Surrey are probably optimistic considering he has yet to pick up a bat since breaking his finger at Lord's three weeks ago.

Robinson added: "We're hoping Rana will be fit in ten days but Lewry could be longer and we have to make a decision with Jason.

"He has come back twice now and gone bust both times. Because our resources are stretched we have played him when he's not quite ready and it has backfired. Unless we have no choice we have to wait now until he is fully fit."

Luke Wright should have recovered from a rib muscle injury to face Cardiff UCCE on Tuesday in a three-day friendly at Hove while Tom Smith, Michael Thornely and Ollie Rayner have been added to the squad for the game in Bristol where Sussex will be looking for their second win in the FP Trophy.

Sussex (v Gloucestershire from): Montgomerie, Prior, Rayner, Adams, Goodwin, Hopkinson, Martin-Jenkins, Smith, Mushtaq Ahmed, Kirtley, Liddle, Nash, Thornely.