Coach Mark Robinson fears Sussex’s hopes of climbing away from Championship relegation trouble could be scuppered by the weather.

Rain is forecast for the first three days at Old Trafford when Robinson comes up against his predecessor Peter Moores’ Lancashire side.

Sussex are back in the first division’s bottom two but they trail fifth-placed Warwickshire by just nine points and crucially have a game in hand on the three teams above them including Hampshire and Yorkshire, who are locked on 127 points.

The last thing Sussex want is a one-innings affair on the last day with no possibility of collecting crucial bonus points.

Robinson said: “The forecast for the next three days is stinking but the forecasters have been wrong before.

“The worst case scenario would be nothing until the last day then a four-point draw and no prospect of winning any bonus points. We just hope for a bit of luck and a change in the forecast.”

With two of their remaining three games at home – both against fellow strugglers Warwickshire and Yorkshire – Sussex’s first division status which they have held since 2001 is in their own hands.

Both Warwickshire and Hampshire still have to play doomed Worcestershire while Yorkshire host Hampshire in the final round of matches starting on September 23.

Robinson said: “You would like to think that one more win would be enough and the other teams around us, who only have three games left, would be thinking the same.

“What won’t help us is if we come away from Old Trafford having hardly played but we are the only side with two home games left and that has to be an advantage.”

Chris Nash, who made a career-best 157 in the last Championship game against Somerset a fortnight ago, is still doubtful with a sprained ankle and will have a fitness test today.

Both Joe Gatting and Rory Hamilton-Brown have stayed with the squad following Sunday’s Pro40 League win at Scarborough and either could come in although that would necessitate a change in the order with either Ed Joyce or Carl Hopkinson moving up to open the innings.

Gatting looks likely to make his Championship debut after his impressive 99 not out in Sunday’s Pro40 win.

Robinson said: “It was a funny innings from Gatt because there were times when he got stuck and other periods when he was hitting the ball really well. But it is great for him in terms of his confidence.”

Sussex had to train at a local club ground yesterday because of last night’s Twenty20 international at Old Trafford which many of the squad were attending.

Sussex (from): Hopkinson, Yardy, Joyce, Goodwin, Gatting, Smith, Hodd, Martin- Jenkins, Arafat, Rayner, Collymore, Hamilton-Brown.