Yorkshire skipper Andrew Gale has promised to attack Lancashire as he and his lower order colleagues look to pull off a shock LV= County Championship win at Headingley today.

The White Rose county, chasing a gettable 284 for victory in the final four sessions of this contest, lost three wickets in the last ten overs of day three to slip from a position of strength at 118-3 into trouble at 136-6.

They will resume today needing another 148 to win with Gale at the crease on 28 and night-watchman Ryan Sidebottom by his side.

The left-hander summed up the state of play perfectly when he said: “It’s Lancashire’s to lose.”

But nothing would surprise you after witnessing three incredible days in which the pendulum has swung this way and that.

We have already seen two ninth-wicket partnerships of 154 and 80 from either side, while Yorkshire’s first innings centurion Rich Pyrah will bat at number 11 today. Both of those partnerships – the one of 80 between Sajid Mahmood and Kyle Hogg coming yesterday afternoon – were littered with attacking shots.

And Gale said: “We’ve got nothing to lose. We’ll come out and play some attacking cricket and see where it takes us. On that wicket you’ve got to be attacking.

“It’s gone both ways, but I still think the game’s pretty much in the balance. They’ll think they’ve got the advantage, although you’ve seen what our batting line-up’s capable of.

“There’s no reason why we can’t crack on and knock those runs off.”

Looking back, Yorkshire will be frustrated that the bad light, which took the players off with 20.2 overs left in the day, improved sufficiently for another 16.2 overs to be bowled.

They were reasonably placed with Gale and Jonny Bairstow at the crease, but Bairstow and Tim Bresnan fell to Glen Chapple and spinner Gary Keedy got Gary Ballance caught at silly point for a duck.

While metronomic Chapple claimed three wickets in all, Mahmood got the big wicket of South African opener Jacques Rudolph lbw for 35 after Yorkshire had made a solid start to reach 80-1.

Lancashire, resuming day three at 33-3 in their second innings, soon slipped into deep trouble at 87-8 as Tim Bresnan (4-50) and Pyrah struck twice. Having seen what Pyrah and Sidebottom did with the bat on Thursday, however, it was not too much of a surprise when the visitors’ tail wagged as well.

Hogg and Mahmood both notched breezy half-centuries, hitting 16 fours and a six between them to boost their second innings total to 194 on the stroke of tea.

Joe Root, Rudolph and Anthony McGrath all looked solid at the start of the Yorkshire chase, but the hosts need another sizeable twist if they are to clinch a third win of the season and prevent the Red Rose from doing the double.

Yorkshire have put in a 28-day approach for Northamptonshire’s soon to be out of contract fast bowler Jack Brooks. Martyn Moxon watched him against Derbyshire at Wantage Road yesterday.

• Stamford Bridge Cricket Club are playing host to Yorkshire’s seconds against Lancashire in a three-day game starting on Tuesday.

Play starts at 11am each day.