ROB Vickerman has denied Newcastle Falcons are embroiled in a relegation battle ahead of tomorrow’s Guinness Premiership home game with Bath.

Newcastle will take the field at Kingston Park on the back of a run of three league games without a victory, a sequence that has seen them slip to within four points of Leeds Carnegie at the foot of the table.

To make matters worse, Leeds are in their best form of the season having recorded back-to-back victories over Sale and Wasps.

The cushion provided by a successful autumn has all but disappeared, but with seven games to go, Vickerman has attempted to quash talk of a battle against the drop.

“I wouldn’t say we’re in a relegation scrap,” said the centre, who joined Newcastle from Leeds last summer.

“There are over 40 points still on offer and a lot of rugby to be played between now and the end of the season.

“It’s part of the reason why we play the sport, because every week is a new challenge, and all the teams in the league are doing their utmost to win every single game they play.

“Fair play to Leeds, they’ve been bottom of the table for a while but they’ve got a good pack down there and seem to be playing to their strengths now with a couple of recent wins.

“There’s no despondency at all in our camp though, morale is really good and there’s a great enthusiasm among the boys to work hard and improve.

“A win this Sunday against Bath is absolutely essential, that’s the only thought in our minds at the moment and we’re all collectively pushing hard to achieve that goal.”

If Newcastle are to haul themselves clear of the relegation zone, they will surely have to muster more backline creativity than they displayed in last weekend’s 13-0 defeat at Worcester.

Falcons’ only try in their last three matches came from hooker Rob Vickers, and you have to go back to December 5 to find the last Premiership try scored by one of the club’s backs.

A shortage of ball has not been the problem, and Vickerman admits Newcastle must improve their creativity behind the scrum in order to convert possession into points.

“We need to capitalise on the ball we’re getting, play in the right areas and use our possession wisely,” he said.

“We’re good enough to cause some real damage to teams, we’ve shown it at times and we just need to back ourselves that little bit more when we’re on the attack.

“It’s a case of running that little bit harder, asking more questions of the defence and generally just having more of a go.

“It’s a big frustration that the backs haven’t fired collectively in recent weeks, it’s something we’ve talked about within the group and there’s a massive determination to rectify it. We need to take some of the work load off the forwards.”

Falcons director of rugby Steve Bates has made three changes to the side that lost at Worcester seven days ago.

Hall Charlton replaces Micky Young at scrum half, while fit-again Charlie Amesbury is preferred to Gcobani Bobo on the wing.

Adam Balding is ruled out through illness, so a re-jigged back row sees Will Welch come in on the openside flank, Brent Wilson shift to the blindside and Peter Browne revert to number eight.

FALCONS (vs Bath): Tait, Williams, Vickerman, Tu’ipulotu, Amesbury, Gopperth, Charlton; Golding, Vickers, Hayman, Hudson, Swinson, Wilson, Welch, Browne.

Replacements: Walker, Ward, Ovens, Sorenson, Afu, Young, Miller, Bobo.