WITH a first away league win in almost two years under their belt, Newcastle Falcons are looking up the Aviva Premiership Rugby table and Michael Young is convinced the experienced summer signings can help them achieve their goals.

Alex Tait’s second-half try helped Falcons to an 18-13 victory over Gloucester Rugby – their first win at Kingsholm since 2012 and a first Aviva Premiership triumph on the road since beating London Welsh in October 2014. they aim to make it two with tomorrow's trip to Worcester.

After finishing 11th in the table last term, Newcastle brought in players with plenty of top-tier experience over the summer, including the likes of Vereniki Goneva, Opeti Fonua and Dom Waldouck.

And with the new boys on board, scrum-half Young claims belief is coursing through the ranks at Kingston Park.

“This year we are approaching each week as it comes and we’ve got huge belief in our team and in the squad,” said Young, speaking at the launch of this year’s Aviva Community Fund alongside team-mates Ally Hogg and Chris Harris.

“The new guys have definitely bought in to what we do and it’s a great environment for them to settle into.

“It’s a great set of boys for them to mix in with and get used to the systems and how we want to play and the ambitions we want to achieve at the club. The squad is looking very good.

“We want to improve each year as it comes and having experienced guys like Opeti, Dom and Vereniki come in can only help that.

“It’s massively important for the club and it builds the sense of the squad and builds on the depth we already have in those positions. So it’s great having those guys on board.”

The Aviva Community Fund is a nationwide initiative that lends a helping hand to local communities by offering support and funding for local clubs, causes and projects.

It has already benefited over 320,000 people, through 431 winning projects across the UK, and this year, local grassroots sports clubs can apply or reapply for funding in a new, sport-specific category.

And Young believes the impact that schemes like this have can’t be overstated.

“It’s massively important that clubs up and down the country get this sort of help because ¬a large number of us professional players started off at grassroots,” he explained.

“So, in that sense, it’s important that it keeps going and gets the funding and backing it needs to allow young kids to enjoy rugby, get out there, make friends and potentially make a career out of rugby.

“I was lucky enough that West Hartlepool were my local team and I made friends for life in youth rugby that I still hang around with. It was a great start and a great time of my life.”

While last season was disappointing for Falcons, this campaign – with two wins from four games – has started promisingly and Young believes the sky is now the limit.

“Last season wasn’t ideal, the pressure of fighting at the bottom isn’t great,” he added. “Every team in the Aviva Premiership is hugely competitive and every game is just as important as the next.

“It has been a bit up and down over the first few weeks but in terms of the belief we’ve got at the club, it’s massive.

“As a team we’re looking very positive and very promising for what we want to achieve as a team this year.”

Falcons have named the same starting XV for the second week running, with the only change to the match-day squad seeing England prop David Wilson named on the bench a week after re-joining his home town club from Bath.

Premiership Rugby and the 12 Aviva Premiership Rugby Clubs are supporting the Aviva Community Fund, a nationwide initiative which offers funding of up to £25,000 to grassroots sports clubs and other community organisations close to your heart. Enter at aviva.co.uk/community-fund from September 13.