FORGOTTEN man Dave Walder swept dramatically to Newcastle's rescue with the last kick of the match to secure four invaluable points at Kingston Park yesterday.

Not even in the squad for some recent games, Walder was sent on as a half-time replacement and struck a 32-metre penalty in the eighth minute of added time to lift the Falcons off the foot of the Guinness Premiership.

Second half mistakes seemed to have condemned them to their fourth successive home league defeat, but a try by England reject Jamie Noon put them back in the hunt and he also forced Wasps to commit the decisive error at the death.

After Newcastle suddenly found themselves bottom of the table, it was a day for staying afloat in every sense with rain falling in the first half on an already swampy pitch.

They threatened to throw themselves a lifeline with an early try and still led 7-5 at the break, but 11 minutes later they were 15-7 down.

Winger Tom May was stretchered off at the same point with a suspected broken leg and the crippling casualty list grew even longer when replacement prop David Wilson, who had gone on at half-time, limped off to be followed ten minutes from time by May's replacement, Lee Dixon.

But it all came right in the end and Director of Rugby Rob Andrew said: "I thought we deserved it. The pack was outstanding against a side in a rich vein of form who expected to win.

"Dave Walder knows he drives me mad at times, but we know what he can do. He did exactly the same here against Wasps last season, when we won 29-28. He took that last kick because Matt Burke could hardly feel any part of his body by that stage.

"Wasps might argue about that last penalty but we have had a few of those go against us and we were due a bit of luck. We showed a lot of courage to come back and I'd like to thank Andy Robinson for dropping Jamie Noon.

"We have been playing well enough to not worry unduly and the players have never lost faith. The crowd would recognise from first minute to last today that a huge amount of effort went in. It was a very spirited performance by the forwards in very testing conditions."

The errors which gifted Wasps their early second half points were induced by the conditions as the Falcons first had to kick the ball dead when it was bobbing around in the swamp dangerously close to their line.

Wasps tried to force their way over from the five-metre scrum but were driven back, only for Newcastle to go into a ruck from the side, presenting Mark Van Gisbergen with an easy three points.

Up-and-unders had been an inevitable feature of the first half, but after 51 minutes Newcastle allowed Wasps centre Ayoola Erinle to gather one just outside his 22 and break away before a kick ahead again had the Falcons in trouble with the slippery ball on the ground.

The unfortunate Mathew Tait fumbled it five metres from the line and Wasps' fly half Jeremy Staunton only had to dribble the ball over to score under the posts.

Experience was needed in these conditions and Newcastle had sent on Walder for Toby Flood at half-time and his pass after 58 minutes allowed Noon to burst on to it, split the opposing centres and sidestep the cover to score by the posts.

The conversion by the excellent Burke cut the gap to one point, but with scoring opportunities at a premium it was no great surprise that few other chances were created.

Walder tried an ambitious drop goal as the game entered injury time, but the ball skidded harmlessly off his boot. Thankfully there was no repeat with the penalty, which sailed majestically between the posts after Wasps were penalised for handling on the deck.

Such wet conditions are usually described as a great leveller, and so it proved as Wasps, champions for the last three seasons and currently lying second, found it just as difficult as their hosts to keep either the ball or their feet.

The Falcons had slipped to the bottom after Leeds' second successive win on Friday night - a shock victory at Bath - and if Andrew's men hadn't previously realised the seriousness of the situation they did now.

The fans have clearly not given up on them, however, as 7,379 braved the elements to witness a game which had no chance of being a spectacle.

Without the experience of Colin Charvis and the struggling Owen Finegan in the back row, it was going to be difficult to match a side led from No 8 by Lawrence Dallaglio.

But his opposite number, Jason Smithson, proved as adept as anyone at protecting the ball in only his second Premiership start, while flankers Cory Harris and Mike McCarthy both made an impact.

Wasps were without four current internationals, but like Noon their full back, Van Gisbergen, had been released from the England squad.

Even in these conditions he showed why he has risen to prominence, always looking secure and even threatening in attack.

Burke missed an early penalty, but Newcastle went ahead after five minutes when they battered round the fringes of rucks then Tait made a burst before McCarthy came in on an angled run to burst through a pile of bodies and reach the line.

Burke converted but two minutes later Van Gisbergen broke through some feeble tackling to send right winger Paul Sackey on a 40-metre run to the line.

There was no further scoring in the first half and once Newcastle had gone 15-7 down things looked ominous, especially with the reshuffle forced by injuries.

With Walder and Dickson the only backs replacements, Harris had to switch from open side to wing when Dickson was injured and Finegan struggled to make an impact when he went off the bench.

But when all looked lost Noon put in one final surge and got close enough to the posts for Walder to steal the glory.

Result: Newcastle Falcons 17, London Wasps 15.