With their smallest squad in years and all but one of their LV= County Championship matches being played away from Old Trafford, it is set to be a challenging season for Lancashire, who begin their campaign against Sussex at Liverpool.

Here, Chris Ostick gets the views of five former Red Rose stars – all of whom have played for England – on what they expect from Peter Moores’ men this year.

Neil Fairbrother

This year is one of consolidation for Lancashire and the target has to be to stay in Division One of the County Championship.

With such a small squad, a couple of injuries would leave them very thin, and it could be a long, hard season.

I think every Lancashire fan would love to see a team made up almost entirely of Lancastrians winning some silverware again.

We did it when I was in the side, but we had a very special unit with some very special players and that doesn’t come around very often.

For Lancashire to win anything this season someone is going to have to step up to the plate big style.

Mind you, with Glen Chapple in the side anything is possible. He is amazing and just seems to get stronger and stronger as the years go by. When he is on his top form he is unparalled in the county game.

And in Peter Moores they have a coach with great experience who has won trophies with young players before.

Key man: I would love to see Luke Procter get a chance. He is as Lancastrian as they come.

Ian Austin

I don't think Lancashire will win a trophy this year.

If they finish in the top three in the County Championship and have a good run in the one-day competitions then it will have been a good season.

They will need some unbelievable performances from some of the home-grown players throughout the whole season if they are to win anything.

The batsmen have under-performed for a number of years now and it is a while since we have had a couple of players scoring around 1,200 runs in a campaign.

It is crucial to put a score on the board in the Championship to put the opposition under pressure and if Lancashire don’t they are going to struggle to win games. So the batsmen need to get stuck in.

The fact they are playing all but one of their Championship matches away from Old Trafford will make it an interesting season.

Key man: Steven Croft has gone from strength to strength over the last few years and has secured his place in the side, he now has to kick on and show he can become a top-class pro.

Phil DeFreitas

No disrespect to Old Trafford, but the fact Lancashire will play most of their home Championship games at outgrounds could be a major positive.

You almost always get a result at places like Liverpool, Blackpool and Southport.

When I was playing for the club, if we had played 90 percent of our home games at outgrounds we would have won the Championship. If they make the most of that, I wouldn’t rule out a top-two finish.

I have been impressed with how the club has stuck with the youngsters over the last few years and that could pay dividends this season.

But consistency is the key when you are dealing with youngsters, and some of them are going to have to put their hands up and perform, especially with the bat.

Key man: Glen Chapple continues to impress me. If he stays fit, Lancashire have got themselves a great leader and a great performer.

Ronnie Irani

It would be a major, major feat if Lancashire win anything this season with the financial restrictions Peter Moores has had to cope with over the winter.

It has been a brave decision by Lancs to concentrate on the ground redevelopment, but the survival of the club comes ahead of anything else.

For years Lancashire fans have been keen to see a team full of Lancastrians prepared to give blood, sweat and tears for the county, and now they will get that opportunity.

As a Lancashire lad who came through the system at Old Trafford, it is good to see and I hope the Red Rose fans give them the backing they need.

In Paul Horton, Stephen Moore and Mark Chilton they have experienced batsmen at the top of the order who have to produce the goods. And there will be a lot of responsibility on the shoulders of skipper Glen Chapple, Sajid Mahmood and Gary Keedy with the ball.

Despite all the problems, Lancashire will always be difficult to beat.

Key man: I have seen Karl Brown play several times, mainly in one-day cricket, and he is a talented player and a Bolton lad like myself.

Warren Hegg

All the squad will have to stand up and give 120 per cent if Lancashire are to do well this season.

In Glen Chapple they have a skipper who is so enthusiastic about the club, he leads by example and inspires the rest of the squad.

Losing Shivnarine Chanderpaul would be a blow to any side in the world, so he will be missed this season, but Peter Moores will be instilling in his batsmen how important it is for someone to try and fill that role in Championship cricket.

It is a big year for Gareth Cross as he gets the chance to play in all forms of the game.

I have worked with him a lot over the years and it has been very difficult for him with Luke Sutton being such a consistent performer. But now the door is open for Gareth to show what he can do.

A trip to Lord’s for a one-day final is now way overdue, while I believe the Championship is not out of our grasp especially if we go into the final third of the
season still in the hunt.

Key man: It is a big year for Gareth Cross behind the stumps but I believe he has the talent to make it a memorable one.

What is your prediction? Have your say.

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