It's amazing the difference one win can make.

After last week's superb victory over Gloucestershire in the Championship I am now convinced Sussex can go on to secure promotion.

Such a claim may raise a few eyebrows considering I have spent much of the summer bemoaning the county's struggles in all formats of the game.

But they seem to have clicked at just the right time in four-day cricket and with five matches to go have a real chance of claiming the division two title.

It doesn't matter what I think though. The important thing is whether the players believe they can do it and from the comments coming out of Hove over the last few days it appears they do.

Of course it is not going to be easy. They are down in sixth place after all and a not insubstantial 40 points adrift of leaders Essex but they have one crucial factor in their favour – momentum.

As we saw in Albion's ultimately unsuccessful promotion bid in the Championship last season it is often the team who finishes the season strongest that takes the spoils. The Seagulls had set the pace for much of the season but ran out of steam slightly and Hull stormed through to snatch a place in the Premier League ahead of them.

Essex have been top virtually from day one but have developed a habit over the last six or seven years of promising a lot and then falling short. If Sussex can get on a roll then I'm sure Essex will start to feel the pressure and performances will suffer.

So what has changed? How have Sussex suddenly emerged as creditable title-candidates having been mediocre at best for the opening four months of the summer?

The simple answer is that it was always going to take time for head coach Mark Davis and skipper Luke Wright to get the team playing how they wanted after being appointed in the winter. They have been learning on the job but now appear to have really got to grips with things.

Obviously the return of Chris Jordan from England duty has helped but I think the signing of David Weise as overseas player following the departure of Ross Taylor has turned out to be a masterstroke.

Weise might not be the best all-rounder in world cricket but he has given Sussex something they have been missing all season – a hard edge.

Part of the reason behind Sussex's inability to win games this year has been the fact they were too nice. Weise comes across as a real fighter and I think that attitude has rubbed off on some of those around him who perhaps had not quite stepped up to the plate previously.

The only fly in the ointment to Sussex's hopes of ending 2016 on a high is the fact they will have to do it without arguably their two best players.

Jordan is set to miss the next three Championship games as he will be playing for England in the ODI series against Pakistan while Ed Joyce is likely to be absent for the game against Kent at the end of the month and possibly the final - and potentially decisive - match against Gloucestershire due to Ireland commitments.

Whether Sussex can cope without those two is yet to be seen but the opportunity is there and now they must grasp it.