Jack Carson is delighted with his start to his first top-flight season.
But Sussex still have work to do to ensure a positive result in their opening fixture.
The spinner took four wickets to help Sussex bowl out hosts Warwickshire for 454 in Rothesay County Championship division one.
Sussex had reached 126-3 at close of play on day three, a lead of exactly 200.
A draw looks strong favourite but Sussex must just be careful not to avoid a dramatic collapse.
Carson said: “It’s always nice to start the season with a few wickets.
“I only picked up a few towards the end of the innings but I felt I deserved it. You keep plugging away and sometimes you get your rewards.
“There are a few of us making the step up to Div One cricket and you want to show people you can do well and contribute in Div One, so it’s nice to start with a couple of wickets and hopefully now I can kick on.”
Carson has not given up the match as a nailed-on draw.
He added: “It’s quite a flat wicket but there is a little bit of rough offering some spin and bite.
“It’s still a really good wicket on the stumps and in the danger zones but that rough is starting to crumble elsewhere so it might cause a few problem for the batters.
“There is a definitely still a chance of a result. You never know with Championship cricket so we will come in tomorrow with our own ideas of how to go about it and see how it looks.”
After Warwickshire resumed on 223 for three, Sussex struck a big blow with the 21st ball of the third day.
Ollie Robinson needs to fire early this season to advance his case for an England recall and he has started strongly in this match with several hostile spells in good batting conditions.
He removed the well-set Rob Yates for 115 with a perfectly-pitch leg-cutter about which the batter could do nothing.
Robinson then unfurled another fine ball which Dan Mousley, still to score, edged to slip, but Tom Alsop dropped the catch.
Less impressive was the ball that did bring his next wicket – a full toss which Ethan Bamber belted straight to mid-wicket.
At 252 for five, still 127 short of the follow-on, Warwickshire needed steadying and Mousley and Ed Barnard provided the necessary stability perfectly with a stand of 124 in 32 overs.
Mousley, his long-awaited maiden first class beckoning, departed on 63 furious at himself for missing a sweep at Carson and falling lbw.
Barnard struck seven fours and two sixes in an increasingly fluent innings before he fell lbw for 82 to a fine ball from Danny Lamb.
Kai Smith’s punchy 27 (32 balls) ended when he lifted Carson to long on and Michael Booth fell in similar fashion after Tazeem Ali edged Lamb to second slip.
Carson finished with 4-92 having reeled off 31.2 overs in the early-season sunshine.
Robinson took 2-76, Seales 2-112 and Lamb 2-59.
Sussex were left with a session to bat and they spent it enhancing their lead for the loss of three wickets to the spinners.
Yates had Daniel Hughes (33) caught at slip and Tom Haines (34) lbw, half-forward. Tom Clark (27) offered no shot to a sharply turning ball from Tazeem Ali and was adjudged lbw.
Alsop was unable to bat due to illness which brought James Coles in at No.4 and he is 20 not out overnight.
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