If...

I've never been one for counting chickens before they are hatched, to use the old and time-honoured phrase, but there will be more than a few Derbyshire fans out there right now wondering if this is really to be our year.

As always, I will be perfectly honest and say that for us not to go up this summer, as champions, would now be a major disappointment. We control our own destiny, it is as simple as that. Twenty-six points clear and a game in hand on all of our rivals is a position that most sides would love and the truth is that such a position is deserved and the result of some high quality performances.

Winning is a nice habit to have and I got the impression, watching Derbyshire's body language against previously unbeaten Sussex in the week, that they believe in themselves. They have proved their ability against weaker and stronger sides in the division and need only to retain that belief and keep doing the right things over the next twenty days of championship cricket and we will be crossing that finishing line in first place.

Next week's game at Headingley is massive for me. A win there and even the sceptics will be convinced. A draw would do us nicely. Defeat? No, let's not think about that at this stage...

Should Derbyshire go up to the top division, of course, there would be a sea change in public opinion. Fans would be ecstatic, a few cynics would shut up (temporarily, at least) and the astonishing work that has gone on at the club would come to wider notice.

Yet the work would really start there. What we do not want at Derbyshire is a replication of Derby County when they went into the Premiership, becoming the laughing stock of the country. I don't think that would happen, because we have some very good players who can pit their talents against supposed betters, as we showed against Sussex. We will need an injection of new blood though, people who can provide us with a genuine top-class squad, as opposed to a good first eleven with seven players in reserve.

How we go about that from a financial perspective is a matter I will leave to Messrs Grant and Storey, better qualified than I (or anyone else reading this, I'd wager) to work out what we can afford, but the reality is that Derbyshire need new personnel in key areas to make a serious impact on the top division.

First, for all the talent in our seam attack, I think we need another proven performer, a wicket-taking bowler who can ideally contribute with the bat. Groenewald and Palladino are the real deal, quality performers who will either take wickets or keep it quiet, but can we expect them to stay fit, season after season though? Jon Clare is capable of good spells too, though his bowling seems less penetrative of late and his batting hasn't really progressed. Mark Turner has and while still prone to erratic spells, is a much better bowler than the one that arrived at the county, while Mark Footitt is seriously quick but still with question marks over his ability to stay fit over the season. For me, another, proven performer would be required for us to make a sustained impact, a player who has shown that he can take regular wickets at county level to put pressure on the regulars and ideally become just that himself.

The spin bowling is in good hands with David Wainwright, and Tom Knight will come increasingly into the mix. Wes Durston is a useful backup, as is Chesney Hughes, though I'd sooner the latter rediscover his batting mojo than become a bit-part player. Peter Burgoyne may also come through and I have few qualms about that facet of our game.

Another wicket-keeper would be an asset too, as competition for places is a factor in success. Tom Poynton has had a pretty good first season, but we need a second man of confirmed county standard to keep him on his toes. I am a big fan of Richard Johnson, who has done little wrong in his stint at the County Ground, but time will tell if we are able to move for the player on a permanent basis.

Which brings us to the batting. I think we need a couple of players, one of who will be our overseas, and I would personally like to see Wayne Madsen open again next summer. I think he is the best opener on the staff and as such should, captaincy pressures notwithstanding, be opening the batting. With Durston, Redfern and Whiteley in the middle order, along with Hughes, we have a solid look, but an established first wicket down player and an opener, alongside Madsen, would for me head the winter shopping list.

I covered this in detail back at the start of June and haven't changed my mind since then. Next summer will prove extraordinarily difficult for the recruitment of overseas stars and, with only Zimbabwe clear of overseas tours to the four corners of the earth (aside from the ICC Trophy) Brendan Taylor is a standout cricketer. A dynamic batsman, fine fielder, useful spinner and solid wicket-keeper, as well as his country's skipper, he is exactly the sort of player that a county should be looking at. Taylor can either open or go in at three, something that holds considerable appeal, and his dynamic batting would be an asset in all forms of the game.

A county that aims to make a mark next summer, like Derbyshire, has to get in early for a top overseas player, rather than rooting around for scraps once the ICC Trophy squads have been announced. Throw in another overseas batsman for the T20  - the bowlers aren't the problem - and we would be in good shape for 2013. With two good T20 batsmen we could make an impact in that form of the game. The reality is that this summer we effectively played without one.

Time for a few car boot sales to raise the cash, methinks...