THE sight of Ryan Lamb’s conversion sealing Warriors’ promotion back to the Aviva Premiership will forever be etched into the minds of the Worcester rugby faithful.

That night against Bristol at Sixways four-and-a-half months ago was sporting drama at its finest and is the reason Dean Ryan’s side can look forward to locking horns with Northampton Saints at headquarters tomorrow night.

Now, following the longest pre-season in history because of the World Cup, the waiting is over and the serious business can begin.

The question Warriors fans will want answering is whether their team can bridge the gap between the Championship and the top table.

Ryan has not had as long as some of his rivals to recruit players due to the elongated play-offs at the back end of last season, but the challenge remains the same — survival.

That has to be Warriors’ chief aim. Make sure of that and anything else is a bonus.

The Sixways director of rugby has spoken of building the club and making progress – ensuring they maintain their status is key to that.

Crucially, it is important that fans don’t expect too much too soon and back their team through both the good times and bad.

It is likely to be a rocky ride more often than not, but eleventh place or better come May and it will be mission accomplished.

The experience of the likes of Phil Dowson, Tevita Cavubati, Donncha O’Callaghan and former Saints man GJ van Velze will go a long way to helping them achieve that.

Add to the mix the youthful talents of Ben Howard, Max Stelling and Tom Heathcote and Warriors will feel they have the potential to do significantly better than their tag of relegation favourites.

While there will be plenty of ups and downs over the months ahead, there is no reason why Warriors can’t feel an element of optimism.