NEWCASTLE Falcons face an interesting selection dilemma before next Sunday's attempt to maintain their 100 per cent Heineken Cup record at home to Edinburgh.

They dug out a valuable Premiership win yesterday against struggling Northampton, but the visitors scored the only try of a disappointing spectacle.

The Falcons could claim that they won easily enough while giving 80 minutes' very useful game time to the likes of prop James Isaacson and 20-year-old lock Andy Buist.

But they will be looking for a big improvement next week. Jonny Wilkinson is just about fit to return, but it was a mystery yesterday why centre Mark Mayerhofler did not get on the field.

He was again on the bench after recovering from injury, but the Falcons continued to persevere with Epi Taione, who failed to make the yardage expected from his powerhouse frame.

With Rob Andrew dashing off to an awards dinner, it was left to forwards coach Ross Nesdale to say afterwards: "I have no news on whether Jonny will be fit for next week."

He was equally non-committal on the subject of Mayerhofler, saying: "Mark is fit, but I can't say why he didn't get on. I don't make those decisions.

"No win is a bad win, but the dressing room is a morgue. The game was riddled with mistakes.

"We said that patience would be the key against a side with their backs to the wall. We wanted to play controlled rugby but we didn't carry that out."

Full back Matt Burke kicked five of Newcastle's six penalties - there were also three drop goals - before retiring ten minutes from time with a hamstring niggle.

They hope he will be fit for next week, along with joint captain Ian Peel, who pulled out yesterday with a neck problem.

As this was the second successive home game which has clashed with a match at St James' Park, the Falcons would have been happy with a crowd of 6,871.

But many of them must have wished they had continued to watch the football on the televisions in the bars around the ground during a dire first half.

Northampton, who had to bring in Shane Drahm at fly half because new skipper Paul Grayson was injured, looked like a side who have lost eight successive Premiership games.

But the depleted Falcons were no better. They didn't help themselves with some careless play, notably from Taione. On one occasion he fielded a kick midway into his own half with oceans of room to run at the opposition, which is what Newcastle want him to do.

But he put in a dreadful kick, allowing the Saints to attack up the right. When Dave Walder subsequently failed to find touch from behind his own line the visitors had a great chance to attack from 30 metres but made a mess of it.

Although they had the benefit of the wind in the first half, there was a hint of desperation about the way Northampton asked Drahm to go for goal from eight metres inside his own half.

That it was beyond his range was confirmed by the fact that he was later short from halfway. After Drahm put the Saints ahead with a simple penalty after two minutes the next three scores in a loose and shapeless opening all involved questionable decisions by referee Geraint Ashton Jones.

An athletic one-handed pick-up by hooker Andy Long took Newcastle into the 22 but there was a hint of a knock-on before winger Tom May, standing off from a ruck, kicked a 25-metre drop goal.

Isaacson and lock Luke Gross then drove round the fringes and a penalty for off-side saw Burke's kick sail straight over the top of the right-hand post.

Both touch judges raised their flags and the Saints had good cause to agree with the old saying that you always get kicked when you are down.

But they were the beneficiaries shortly afterwards when they took a quick throw-in on the right and threw out a huge pass, which looked forward, to left-winger John Clarke, who galloped over from 30 metres.

Drahm converted for a 10-6 lead after 13 minutes then penalties were exchanged before the Saints narrowly missed another great chance to score.

Centre Marc Stcherbina went for the line with winger Wylie Human free outside him and was turned as he slid over. Burke's third penalty from 45 metres cut the Falcons' deficit to 13-12 at half-time and when he was just short from halfway five minutes after the restart Newcastle kept the pressure on and Walder dropped a goal to put them in front.

Two more Burke penalties either side of one by Drahm had the Falcons 21-16 ahead going into the last 20 minutes, when they sent on Colin Charvis after his four-try heroics for Wales against Japan on Friday night.

He replaced New Zealander Cory Harris, who had done a solid job at open side, while Hall Charlton went on for James Grindal at scrum half.

May burst straight down the middle from his own 22 and a good kick from halfway forced the Saints to concede a line-out ten metres out, but the throw-in wasn't straight.

While such errors were annoying for Newcastle and their fans, this was a day when they could afford them and with 13 minutes left, and Burke receiving treatment, Walder slotted a penalty.

Burke retired three minutes later after being tripped by Human, who was sin-binned, and Newcastle immediately went further ahead.

Bruce Reihana, the visitors' full back and acting captain, couldn't hang on to a poor pass ten metres from his line and after Newcastle won the scrum Walder slotted another drop goal.

With Joe Shaw on for Burke, the Falcons also sent on Marius Hurter and Semo Sititi to help them stay on top in the last ten minutes.

Northampton pressed strongly at the death but had neither the organisation nor the skill to score the try which would have brought them a badly-needed bonus point.

Result: Newcastle Falcons 27 Northampton 16.