WITH Friday night’s home game with Exeter Chiefs approaching a sell-out, Newcastle Falcons prop Jon Welsh insists the club’s players are determined to put on a show for their biggest crowd of the season.

A major marketing programme, billed as the ‘Big Night Oot’, sees just 500 tickets remaining for Falcons’ first Friday-night action in the Aviva Premiership since the opening weekend of the campaign.

Everyone attending Friday’s game will receive a free post-match curry in either the West Stand concourse or East Stand 1877 bar, and Welsh is hoping the action on the pitch also provides a fair bit of spice.

“I have said from day one down here that the Falcons supporters are fantastic,” said the front rower. “Even when it’s only half full they create a heck of a noise, and Friday should be something else with an even bigger attendance.

“From the players’ point of view the focus is on us repaying those guys for coming down, backing the club and supporting the team. We do that by winning the game, simple as that, and it’s all for the fans because they are the guys who turn up even when times are tough.

“They deserve a victory for everything they’ve given the club, and it’s a huge effort from everyone here to make sure they get it."

Falcons will have their work cut out against an Exeter side who were Premiership finalists last season, but Dean Richards’ team have been in decent form this term, winning three of their opening seven league matches.

“This season’s league form has been both good and frustrating at the same time,” said Welsh. “Good in the sense that we have improved on last year, but we have lost a couple of close ones which do make you think ‘what if’ a little.

“Having said that, we have also shaded a couple of close ones in our own favour, but for all the progress we’ve made I think the overriding feeling is that we can still do better.

“It’s human nature to look at the games you could have won rather than the ones you did win, but we’re in a better place now and looking to build.”

Exeter will once again be without their international contingent, but as last week’s resounding Anglo-Welsh Cup win over Cardiff Blues proved, the South-West side are now an established Premiership outfit capable of dealing with any enforced absentees.

“Exeter have been a good Premiership side for a number of years now,” said Welsh. “They have built since their promotion, they have won the Cup and then reached the Premiership final, so you can’t argue with their record. They will bring a big pack, as they always do, and it’s about us going out there and applying our own shape on things.”

* Tickets for Friday's 8pm kick-off are available by calling 0871 226 6060, from the stadium in person or via www.newcastlefalcons.co.uk.