WE have a proud record at Sixways this season and it’s vital Worcester Warriors start 2013 with a big performance against Leicester as we look to recover from defeat to my old club Sale Sharks.

The Warriors have not lost in eight games in all competitions on home soil but we will need to play better than we did at Salford City Stadium because the Tigers arrive in fine form.

They will be determined to end this season with the league trophy back at Welford Road.

Leicester are a club that demand only the best and so there is no bigger challenge for us.

We need to pull out all the stops and it would be fantastic to see as many fans as possible packed into Sixways to make an intimidating and special Friday night atmosphere once again.

The defeat at Sale was massively disappointing but we can have no complaints. The Sharks are fighting for their Aviva Premiership life and they looked sharp.

They have quality players, many of whom I know from my time at the club, and they rose to the occasion to put us under pressure.

However, we didn’t use the conditions well enough in the first-half and we were not at our best defensively.

We know we are better than that and have got to rectify our away form as we head into a new year.

It’s always hard to win away in the Premiership but if we are serious about breaking into the top six we need to turn that around.

We are competitive in every game and stuck at it to claim a losing bonus point at Sale with a late try from Matt Kvesic.

But we need to turn narrow away defeats into victories.

The new year is always a time to both reflect and look ahead and I start 2013 in confident mood and excited about the next 12 months at Sixways.

Over the last few games, we have recorded important wins over the likes of Saracens and London Welsh at home and have pushed Perpignan all the way as we look to make the last eight of the Amlin Challenge Cup.

Our focus, though, remains the Premiership and finishing in the top half.

We have enough fixtures, and with it opportunities, to make that a reality and our destiny is in our own hands.

Now we need to grasp that.

On behalf of all the players and the backroom team at Sixways, I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very happy new year.

There is no danger of any hangovers in the Worcester dressing room as we trained yesterday and are back in today to prepare for Tigers.

There has been a small window of opportunity to spend time with family, friends and loved ones over Christmas and new year but that is the kind of sacrifice we must make if we want to realise our ambitions in 2013.

See you all on Friday night and please bring your voices to welcome in the new year.