Jordan Thompson says the Yorkshire supporters have a massive role to play in the team’s fight for LV= Insurance County Championship silverware.
Thompson, 24, is preparing to play only his fourth career first-class game in front of a crowd when Sussex visit Emerald Headingley on Thursday and Dawid Malan and Gary Ballance are available again for the hosts.
On the back of some impressive recent red ball performances, the all-rounder last week signed a two-year contract extension to keep him in White Rose colours until at least the end of 2023.
In 2019, he played Championship matches at Guildford and York in front of crowds, but has he since played 10 four-day games behind closed doors last season and this.
In that time, he has grown in confidence as a cricketer and has displayed some of the passion which made the likes of Jack Brooks and Ryan Sidebottom such favourites amongst the Headingley faithful.
Approximately 4,250 members and supporters will be permitted to attend Headingley on each day this week, when they will watch Yorkshire attempt to bounce back from last week’s Roses defeat at Old Trafford, a game which also had a crowd present.
With three games to play in the initial group phase, and fighting for a top two finish, it leaves them 24 points behind leaders Lancashire and two points clear of third-placed Northamptonshire.
“We need the supporters on our side as much as possible,” said Thompson. “They are going to be massively important for us this season.
“But it’s up to us to give them something to shout about with the cricket we play. We have to get going quicker than we are doing in the first innings.
“The crowd were against us last week, but hopefully we can give them something to cheer about at Headingley and then Scarborough in a few weeks.
“You heard the noise when Lancashire were one or two wickets away. There were shouts from the crowd to back them up.
“That’s what we will certainly get with our supporters on their backs.”
