Jason Gillespie believes faith and patience can help Sussex force their way into a promotion place.

And the more he sees that happen, the more his players will believe.

Sussex are back down to third place in the Specsavers County Championship, second division this morning after Kent completed their anticipated fourth-day win at home to Northants.

The gap is closing, though. Sussex took 23 points to Kent’s 19 this time around to reduce their deficit on the promotion places from nine points to five.

Warwickshire, who are the next visitors to Hove, were held by Durham and Middlesex appear to be out of it after failing to chase at Gloucestershire.

Sussex are picking up wins based on explosive passages of play which take the game dramatically away from opponents.

Be it Phil Salt’s quick 148 at home to Derbyshire recently.

Be it the nine wickets either side of lunch on Wednesday which sank spirited Leicestershire.

Or be it one of the other examples Gillespie mentioned to The Argus after Leicestershire had been defeated late on Thursday.

Gillespie’s firmly-held belief is that, if Sussex stick to basics and show discipline and patience, they have the skills to unleash hell for periods long enough to blow opponents away.

The more often it happens, the more they should believe.

Gillespie told The Argus: “That happens when we focus on what we need to do rather than end results.

“We encourage people to take each ball on its merits as it comes and react.

“With the ball in hand, just focus on being really disciplined with line and length and stay as patient as we can.

“We know there will be those explosive passages of play. We saw that after tea on Thursday.

“Everyone thought the pitch looked really flat and the batters were comfortable.

“We just hang in and stay patient and, at tea, we just reiterated that.

“All year we have had our rewards after periods where it didn’t look like much is happening.

“We stuck to our plan and we saw Ollie Robinson come on and get a couple which just kept a little bit low.

“All of a sudden, two wickets in an over and the whole scoreboard changes.

“We know we just have to keep hanging in there.

“If we keep hanging in there longer than the opposition, then things can go our way.”

And that is where the theory can be self-perpetuating.

Gillespie said: “We keep talking about the evidence that we are gathering with the ball in hand.

“As I say to the players, it should give them a lot of confidence.

“It has happened a number of times this season.

“You can cite Durham at Arundel, Gloucestershire at Cheltenham, Derbyshire here (at Hove).

“We had Middlesex when Malan and Gubbins both got hundreds out here but we hung in and we hung in.

“We have built up a bank of evidence.

“We should know now that, if we stick at it and be ruthless with that patience, the results will come.”