JONNY TATTERSALL remains confident Yorkshire can recover from a difficult start to this summer’s Vitality Blast and reach the quarter-finals.

The Vikings have only won one of their first seven games in the North Group, losing three added to two no results and a tie.

They begin the second half of their campaign with the toughest assignment possible - against group leaders Lancashire at Emirates Old Trafford on Friday (6.30pm).

The vast majority of a sold out 23,500 crowd will be baying for White Rose blood, but wicketkeeper-batsman Tattersall insists: “We owe them having lost the last three against them in this competition.

“I’ve always thought there’s two ways of qualifying for the quarter-finals.

“One, start off really well like Worcestershire and Lancashire and get a cushion. Or you come up on the rails late on and build some momentum.

“For whatever reason, we’re just not quite producing it at the minute, which is frustrating because we know we’ve got a fantastic side. We’re just not putting it together for a full game.

“It’s been the story of our white-ball season. It happened in the 50-over comp as well. We’d not quite chase them down or we’d not quite defend targets that we should do. It’s happening again. We need to rectify it quickly.

“Then, anything can happen in Twenty20. If we get on a roll, you never know.”

Tattersall continued: “When we find that winning result, we need to back it up in the next game.

“For as long as I’ve been around, we’ve struggled with that. We’d win one, lose one. We’ve never really had that momentum of winning three, four or five games on the bounce.

“But if we can find that, we can qualify for the quarter-finals.”

Lancashire will be the red-hot favourites. While Yorkshire’s only win came at Leicestershire late last month, the Lightning have won their past five and are flying.

They have also won the last three Roses Blast clashes, including at Emerald Headingley a fortnight ago.

They took the honours by just one run in last season’s Old Trafford fixture, surely the best of the 31 meetings so far since 2003.

Rain reduced the game to 14 overs per side, with Lancashire posting 176 for two. In reply, Joe Root hit a stunning 51 not out off 22 balls as the Vikings responded with 175 for four.

It was Tattersall’s Roses bow, and he said: “It was a great occasion, but a very strange game.

“The pitch was flat and there were runs everywhere. In the end, we should have won. It really hurt.”

Tattersall, 24, has only played in three Blast fixtures this season, owing much to Nicholas Pooran’s presence in the Vikings squad.

The West Indian has, however, returned home for international commitments, and Tattersall is happy with where his own game is at.

“The red ball games leading into the T20, I was in the game massively with Keshav Maharaj here. He was spinning it sideways against Somerset (at Emerald Headingley),” he said.

Maharaj could make his Blast debut against Lancashire, who he briefly represented last year in Championship cricket.

The left-arm spinner has returned from South Africa with his primary role to play in their next two Championship matches against Nottinghamshire at Scarborough and Somerset at Taunton.

But he has also been registered for the remaining Blast group games and a potential quarter-final.

“He’s a world-class bowler and is also handy with the stick. He gives us a massive lift,” added Tattersall.