ANDREW GALE is still backing Yorkshire to have a say in the Royal London one-day Cup - but they have to "put a full performance together".

Gale has watched his Vikings play some impressive cricket so far in the North Group, especially with the bat, but their chances of a top-three finish and knockout qualification hang in the balance courtesy of two defeats and two ties in their five games

Tomorrow afternoon’s televised clash with Northamptonshire at Wantage Road (1pm) is the first of three remaining games, the others against Worcestershire away and Durham at Headingley.

Gale said: “I have said to the lads, ‘We haven’t played to our potential’.

“We’ve played some good stuff, but we haven’t brought a full game together apart from the first one against Leicestershire at home.

“The two tied games and the one-run loss against Lancashire, we could be sat here four wins from five.

“But these are three games we can win, and we might sneak in through the back door. Then you never know what happens if you come into form at the right time.

“All we can do is go into these three games with a clear mind and try to put a full performance together. If we do that, we’ll win three out of three. I’ve got no doubt about that because we are capable.”

Notts on Sunday at Trent Bridge is the only game so far where Yorkshire have been clearly second best.

They would have beaten Derbyshire last week had rain not curtailed their innings on 308-2 from 40 overs. Instead of Derby chasing 400-plus in 50 overs, they were set a Duckworth Lewis Stern target of 225 in 22 and tied.

The Warwickshire tie at Edgbaston and the Lancashire defeat at Headingley could have gone either way.

“Another four runs and we’ve got three wins,” said Gale. “It’s that tight.

“When you play 600 balls of cricket and it comes down to the last one, your destiny is right there.

“Definitely two of those games, Lancashire and Derbyshire, we should have won, and it’s certainly dented our confidence slightly.

“At Warwickshire, it felt like we’d gained a point and confidence was really high.

“But the other two, we should have got over the line, and it puts pressure on the next game.”

Gale is determined to stay positive.

“If we were getting played off the park every game, I’d question what we’re about,” he said.

“You only have to look at individual stats and they’re up there with the best in the country.

“Apart from Notts (213 all out), we’ve batted really well. We got 380 against Leicester, we’d have got 400-plus against Derby, Warwickshire we played well to get back in the game. Lancs as well, we got 300-plus.

“But the bowling at times has been patchy and the fielding the same.

“We’ve only lost two games of cricket so far this season in both formats, yet we feel like the wind’s been knocked out of our sails a bit.

“But who knows what could happen if we get over the line in a nipper this week and sneak in through the back door for qualification.”

Northants are out of contention with one win and only two points from five games.