Sussex have been told to aim for the title in their return to top-flight County Championship cricket.
Head coach Paul Farbrace believes the county can return to dizzy heights they enjoyed two decades ago, when they won three titles in quick succession.
Sussex won the division two title last season to end a ten-year absence from the top-flight.
But there will be no talk of simply protecting that status when the new season gets under way
Launching the new season at Hove, Farbrace said: “Our goal for the season is to build on what we have been doing for the last couple of years.
“A lot of people have been talking about survival in division one has to be our goal. It definitely isn’t.
“Aiming to win division one is our goal.
“I am not sitting here saying we are absolutely going to win division one.
“What I am saying is if we start talking about survival and let’s see if we can do okay, we are giving the players a let-off before we have even started.
“We know it is going to be a tough season.
“But, in terms of Championship cricket, we think we are about where we wanted to be at this stage.
“In terms of T20 and Championship cricket, we expect to be competing for a place at Finals Day this year and we expect to be competing in the top half of division one.
“Top four, we think, is a realistic aim and goal for us with the following two seasons finishing in the top two, aiming to win it.
“That might sound punchy but, if we start talking about survival and doing okay, that is not the ambition we want.”
