With our starting lineup showing 12 changes and one positional switch from our league win over the Warriors on Sunday, there was perhaps inevitably going to be difficulties. Worcester naming a strong side meant we were definite underdogs.

Only Mark Sorenson and Danny Williams retained their shirts, alongside Filipo Levi who moved from 8 to the second row. Mark Wilson and Uche Oduoza debuted and Tom Catterick made a first start at full-back, and for the first time to my knowledge Hall Charlton captained the Falcons.

In the first half we probably had the upper hand in the forwards, even if our back five rarely had the ball. Rob Miller put us ahead with a penalty that flew well before swerving at the last second, but the touch judges raised their flags.

Willie Walker equalised with a routine kick as Worcester came more into the match and tried to drive over with a few phases under the posts.

At a ruck on the left, Wilson was sin-binned and although he wasn't at the back of the play, it was strange that the referee only put his arm out for advantage when our new openside was cleared out before quickly blowing the whistle. He certainly didn't look to me to be preventing Worcester playing the ball.

While we were down to 14 men, the hosts launched a quick attack down the left and despite Pat Sanderson holding onto the ball when tackled, Miles Benjamin too a pass a few metres out and powered over for the first score.

One of our better chances came when Sorenson pounced on a loose ball in our 22 and hacked forward. Although he was pulled back, Williams raced forward but mis-kicked the rolling ball into home hands.

Miller's second penalty, after he's sent a kick from halfway just a little wide, reduced the half-time deficit to just 8-6 with the Falcons very much in the match.

At the break the rampaging Adam Balding finally succumbed to a shoulder injury and was replaced by Josh Afu.

The Falcons again began well despite a Walker drop-goal and Williams and the quiet Alex Tait went close on the right. Some powerful forward play came to an unfortunate end when Gcobani Bobo knocked on on the floor, and Miller threw a pass forward with Oduoza in space.

For most of the last half hour though Worcester were in control, and were held up before driving Tom Wood over anyway from the resulting scrum. The conversion and replacement hooker Rob Vickers' yellow card for pushing a Warrior pretty much ended our chances.

Two more forward-driven tries from Ollie Frost and Jake Abbott either side of Sam Tuitupou's yellow card for a cynical high hit on the impressive Tom Catterick cemented the home side's win and bonus point.

Although a 32-6 defeat in our first game in this godforesaken farce of a cup is certainly nothing to cheer, our second team for the most part matched Worcester up front for more than half the match and the match really only got away from us when we started making replacements.

Our first team might have won, or maybe not, we'll never know, but we probably shouldn't be too downhearted as we are performing better in more important competitions.

So obviously in the end I didn't go on strike but swallowed my pride and went to the game today, and with this being an early kick-off and one of my furthest away trips, I did not enjoy getting up at 6.30am on a cold, dark November morning after getting in from work at midnight.

Of course by then though the fans travelling from the North East had already been on the road for half an hour, and today has given me renewed respect for those who get up at 5am in December or January to get a coach to Gloucester or Harlequins.

What today's travellers were rewarded with, for me, often had the feel of a reserve match. Maybe it's because our team was mostly reserves and I'm not used to seeing Sixways either in the daylight or half-full.

But despite this, and England's defeat (which I didn't see fortunately) it was still another good rugby day.

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