Steve Patterson believes the early stages of day three will prove key to Yorkshire’s hopes of turning their LV= Insurance County Championship against Glamorgan around.
Yorkshire are behind at the halfway stage of the season opener at Emerald Headingley.
After two days, Glamorgan, at 68-4 in their second innings, lead by 205.
It has been a largely frustrating two days for Yorkshire, who first let Glamorgan off the hook from 29-3 and 132-7 as they posted 330 in the first innings. The hosts then replied with just 193 all out at tea today.
But Ben Coad struck three times with the new ball after tea to raise hopes of a revival.
Patterson said: “After the disappointment of our first-innings bowling and the way we batted, it was vitally important that we had a bit of a fightback in that last session.
“We performed well, and if we start well in the morning we’re right back in the mix.
“It’s a pitch which offers a bit with the new ball, and when the ball gets older it’s a nice surface to bat on. It’s just about limiting the damage with the new ball.
Unfortunately, today, we didn’t occupy the crease for long enough. By the time the ball got older, we weren’t in a position of strength.
“We’ve still got a newish ball in the morning. We have to try and make the most of that.”
On Yorkshire’s batting troubles, which saw only Adam Lyth (52) reach a half-century, Patterson said: “We didn’t do what we’ve done all pre-season – setting our stall out to bat a long time.
“We had some glimpses of some really nice, but – by and large – we didn’t occupy the crease for long enough.”
And on new ball seamer Coad, who has taken seven wickets so far in this fixture, the skipper added: “He does exactly what you want with the new ball, asking questions every ball.
“He’s a huge asset to us, and he’s proved it again tonight, like he’s done on many, many occasions.”
