Newcastle lock James Hudson was among the Falcons stars brought in for extra training on their day off this week, as they aim to complete a Guinness Premiership double over Bath at Kingston Park on Sunday (kick-off 3pm).

Hudson was among the try-scorers back in October as his side claimed a memorable 27-16 win over his former side at The Rec, but the 28-year-old has spoken of the need for results as his side readies itself for the rematch in the wake of last Friday’s defeat at Worcester.

With that result having seen the Falcons slip to ninth in the table, Hudson said: “We did all the work in the week to prepare, we kept the ball for long periods of time but ultimately just didn’t finish things off.

“We did everything bar scoring points, and it’s obviously frustrating for the boys and for the fans who travelled so far to support us. The things we’d been working on in training, we did a lot of them during the game but in that final ten metres we just couldn’t get over the line.

“It was a pretty low feeling in that changing room after the final whistle, and a long bus trip home to think about things. The frustrating part is that there were actually a lot of positive things in the game, but we all know that the result is ultimately what matters. The second half against London Irish was more the way we need to play in our home games, and if we can translate that type of performance into points then we’re off and running.”

With hooker Rob Vickers having seemed to have wriggled over for a try in the Sixways encounter, Hudson said: “Bobby felt he’d scored in the right corner, the boys thought he had too but we’re not going to feel sorry for ourselves. We just have to get on with it and build on the good things we did, but ultimately we know it’s all about the result.

“Even with the disappointment of the result we still had a good foundation with our set piece, and our line out percentages have been in the 80s and 90s for every game this season. What we need to do is be a lot smarter in terms of how we use that possession once we’ve got it, we kept the ball for long periods of time down at Worcester and credit to them because they defended really well.

“The fact remains that we didn’t ask enough questions of that defence though, and there has been a massive emphasis on that during the week. The coaches have brought us in on our day off for some extra attack training, it seems to be doing the trick and the mood in the camp is really positive about Sunday’s game.”

Asked about the approach this week in the lead-up to Bath, Hudson said: “It’s a difficult one really, because you have to remain positive and prepare for every game with a really confident mindset, you have to be upbeat around the boys and just do everything you can to set the tone for a really strong home performance this Sunday.

“Having said that, we’re not going to hide from where we are. The table doesn’t lie, and whilst it hasn’t changed our mindset massively, it does bring into clear focus the fact that results are the only things that matter for us. Improved performances are all well and good, but we have to get past that and really nail these points.

“All you can do in our situation is keep working harder, keep believing in yourself and in the people around you. Hopefully the supporters can really get behind us on Sunday, it all makes a massive difference and the boys really want to give the fans something to shout about.”

Assessing the threat posed by a rejuvenated Bath outfit, he added: “They’ve had a bit of a lift in recent weeks after a difficult start to the season, and having guys like Olly Barkley coming back will have been a boost to them.

“Olly is someone who is Bath through and through, he loves the club and you can see that every single time he pulls on the shirt. He is a very attacking player who I know well from my time there, and they have other guys with the same mindset like Nick Abendanon and Joe Maddock, who love to pose a threat. Our kicking and chasing game has to be spot-on to deny them any openings, but they have a dangerous set piece also and we’ll be tested on every front.

“They’ve got a good back five with plenty of height, and they will ask a lot of questions of us in the line out. They do their homework in that area, they will have a plan up their sleeve and we need to make sure we’re right on our game there. Even in defeat at Worcester we were still in the high 80s percentage wise on our own throw, so we need to build on that and use it as a real attacking weapon when we get the opportunity.

“We feel as if we’ve taken a big step forward in terms of how we hang on to the ball, but now we need to move that on a level in terms of what we do when we have it. That means scoring tries, simple as that, and there’s been a great deal of honesty in the video session this week in terms of the fact that we didn’t threaten the Worcester defence enough last week. We’ve identified areas where we can remedy that, we’re working hard and hopefully we’ll see the results of that effort on Sunday.”

Tickets for Sunday’s Falcons v Bath game are still available by calling 0871 226 60 60, or from Kingston Park on the day.