ROB Andrew will lead Newcastle Falcons into "the biggest game Kingston Park has ever seen" tomorrow hoping his side's home support help to overcome an injury crisis that threatens to derail the club's Heineken Cup campaign.

The Falcons boss will conduct as many as eight fitness tests today before deciding on his starting XV for the decisive clash with Newport Gwent Dragons.

With 16 members of his Heineken Cup squad either injured or unavailable, Andrew has been forced to call off training this week in an attempt to protect the few players who can still claim to be fully fit.

Such a lengthy injury list would be crippling at the best of times but, with the Falcons' European hopes hinging on the outcome of tomorrow's game, the current crisis could not have come at a worse time.

Newcastle looked odds-on to make the quarter-finals of the tournament after winning the first four games of the group phase, but last weekend's 33-12 defeat in Perpignan has left everything hanging in the balance.

Win and the Falcons make the last eight of Europe's premier club competition for the first time, but lose and all of their early-season successes will count for nothing.

"It's very rare in life that you get a chance to reach the quarter-finals of the Heineken Cup," said Andrew. "We've done all the hard work in going four from five and, by some means, we just need to haul ourselves over the finishing line.

"We're banking on the help of our supporters who have really got to turn up in numbers and get behind the team, as they did magnificently at home to Sale a fortnight ago.

"It's going to be difficult, there's no doubt about that. Newport are a good side, and they're not happy that we beat them down there, so they're coming up here to blow us away.

"That's their approach, and our crowd will have to be an extra man for us on the day. Our support is really growing and is passionate, but they have to be the noisiest they've ever been. We need them, and we need them badly.

"It's the biggest game Kingston Park has ever seen, and the fans could be the difference between winning and losing. If you don't have a ticket get one, and drag your mates down as well because Newcastle are just 80 minutes away from being one of the best eight teams in Europe."

The build-up to the game has been overshadowed by a war of words that has developed between Andrew and Newport flanker Jamie Ringer.

The Falcons boss demanded a formal apology after Ringer accused the former England fly-half of arrogance but, while that has not been forthcoming, Andrew insists tomorrow's game is about announcing Newcastle's arrival in the European big-time rather than extracting any personal revenge.

"The damage is done as far as we're concerned," he said. "They've damaged the club, the supporters and our players. We'll just get on with the game now.

"All I said at the time was that maybe if Newport were put under a little bit more pressure, we would see how they reacted.

"They hadn't been put under enormous pressure in their Celtic League games up to that point.

"If people in professional sport take offence to that, then they're in the wrong business. To come out and insult individuals and the integrity of this club is, in my opinion, very unprofessional."

After grinding out a 10-6 win at Rodney Parade, Newcastle are fully aware of the threat posed by Newport's imposing pack.

Lock Stuart Grimes is expecting a war of attrition tomorrow, but is confident his side's forwards can repeat October's heroics.

"There's a quarter-final place at stake so we know what to expect," said the Scotland international. "They've got a big squad full of international players and they'll be desperate to put one over on us after what we did down there.

"Last weekend's game was pretty physical but that's at the back of our mind now. We know Newport won't be holding back.

"It was hard to learn a massive amount from the game down there, because the weather conditions were so atrocious.

"We played with a lot of intensity and passion up front that day and I think we'll have to do that again.

"Everything was focused on the forwards - for a large part it was like playing in a ten-man rugby game.

"We got stuck into them then and it'll need more of the same to take us through.

"Newport have a lot of big players - especially in the forwards - and they've got a lot of Welsh internationals. They're probably not quite as formidable as Perpignan - but few packs are."

* James Grindal is expected to fill Newcastle's problem position of fly-half tomorrow.

Grindal, normally a scrum-half, has been pressed into emergency duty at number ten because of the Falcons' ever growing injury list.

The Falcons have still to decide on a goal-kicker for the Pool Five encounter.

''Under European Rugby Cup regulations, we have to name a team 48 hours before the game,'' said Andrew.

''And, at this moment in time, the players we have named are the only fit players we have.''