NEWCASTLE FALCONS scrum-half Michael Young is hoping tomorrow night's Anglo-Welsh Cup tie with Cardiff Blues will prove their perfect preparation for the resumption of the Premiership programme next weekend.

Falcons made an ideal start to their Anglo-Welsh campaign seven days ago as they claimed a 53-41 win at Wasps, and will be looking to cement their place at the top of the pool with another win at Kingston Park tomorrow.

However, their main priority remains the Aviva Premiership, and with Dean Richards once again giving a number of his fringe players the opportunity to impress against Cardiff, tomorrow’s game will act as something of a warm-up for next weekend’s league game against Wasps.

“I’d be lying if I said we didn’t have an eye on Wasps because these two Anglo-Welsh Cup games were always approached with the mind-set of making sure we’re in the best possible shape for that Premiership return,” said Hartlepool-born Young, who returned to Newcastle Falcons in 2015 after spells at Leicester and Bath.

“Having said that, the way in which we can get ourselves in great condition for next weekend is by beating Cardiff Blues and putting in a big performance, so it’s one and the same thing really. That momentum will be felt down at Wasps, and it’s a good place to be at the moment.”

Young has suffered an injury-hit start to the season, and the number nine will be hoping a strong showing tomorrow will thrust him into contention for at least a place on the replacements’ bench next weekend.

Falcons burst out of the traps at the start of the campaign, but their league form has faltered slightly, with last month’s 30-13 home defeat to Leicester leaving them in seventh position in the table.

Their cup form has been strong though, with European wins over Dragons and Bordeaux-Begles preceding last weekend’s win at Wasps.

“The club is in a good place at the moment, top of our group in Europe, top of our Anglo-Welsh pool and doing better in the Premiership,” said Young. “Given our history, it’s a bit of a leap, but it’s the result of a lot of hard work and we need to keep ourselves grounded.

“The reason we’re doing better is because we’re driving the standards in training every day, and where we are now is only a starting point.

“We’re not where we want to be in the Premiership right now, we’ve dropped a few places, and although we’ve started the cups well, we’re less than halfway through the group stage. No trophies are won in November, and we need to keep producing performances to fulfil the goals we have for ourselves.”