WHEN we came back down to earth following Newcastle, there was one stark realisation. The job wasn't done.

It was a pity that the four points won at Kingston Park weren't enough to seal our Premiership place for next season because it was a great place to win.

The feeling when Ashley Rowden blew the final whistle was one of elation -- the players, supporters and coaches were unified in that.

However, when we all got back to work this week, we knew that we still needed more points on the board. You simply cannot afford to pat yourself on the back in this game because, as we've seen in recent weeks, teams such as Leeds and Northampton are more than capable of stringing results together.

It would be remiss of me, however, not to praise the squad after the Newcastle display. It's a very difficult place to go and win -- the statistics tell you that -- so all credit must go to the players. Not only that, they were under immense pressure going into the match because they'd all seen the Leeds result on the Saturday. We took to the field against the Falcons as the bottom team in the Premiership so they knew they had to win the game.

The players are only human and despite how many times they are told to focus on themselves rather than looking around at other results, they knew the score before the Newcastle game and the pressure was heaped on their shoulders.

That's what made the performance all the better for me because they dealt with that pressure, executed the game-plan, and came away with four precious points. When Pat Sanderson made the decision, with only seven minutes left, to go for the corner rather than take the three points it was a pressure moment. We were fully behind his choice and, two minutes later, he was proved right by the try and conversion. That's what leadership is all about, the courage to take tough decisions at vital moments.

It was a real team display because everyone worked so, so hard. And I thought players who haven't been regulars this season -- such as Neil Lyman, Phil Murphy, Steve Sparks, Siaosi Vaili and youngster Richard Blaze -- played a big part. It showed the solidarity among the players and made a mockery of recent suggestions that the strength of the squad had been put in jeopardy because of the announcement of new signings.

We have a three-point advantage over the bottom side Leeds as we go into Sunday's clash with Wasps. Certainly, the pressure is back on sides such as the Tykes, Northampton and Harlequins because Sunday's win was our eighth of the campaign. That's two more than Quins and one better than Leeds or Saints. With things so tight at the bottom, the number of wins could be a vital statistic at the end of the season.

People have suggested that Wasps may not take our game seriously but I think they will be very focused on us. They remember their November defeat at Sixways on a night where they were out-muscled up front and I'm sure they'll want to prove a point. They also might fancy catching Leicester for that top spot but, whatever side they put out, we know it's going to be a tough game for us.

I believe, however, that if we play with the same commitment, desire and skill at the Causeway Stadium then we can get something out of the game. With two matches left of the season, you cannot go into a Premiership encounter thinking anything else. We need to increase the points tally before that last-day clash with Northampton and we'll be doing everything we can to ensure that on Sunday.

The supporters were once again magnificent in the North East. It's a long, long journey to Newcastle to cheer us on but they turned up and took over the ground. It was a special performance from the players but also our supporters who didn't stop singing all afternoon. That's why the players and the coaches applauded them at the end because we thought they were superb.

Sunday was indeed a great day for the club but that's history now. It's all about what we do from here on in. Our destiny is in our own hands.