NEWCASTLE scrum-half Micky Young insists the prospect of an LV= Cup semi-final place is all the motivation his Falcons side needs as they prepare to host Exeter Chiefs on Sunday.

The club’s last major silverware came back in April 2004 with a Powergen Cup final victory over Sale Sharks, but the revised Anglo-Welsh format of the competition has so far drawn a blank with Newcastle failing to reach the knock-out rounds in each of the past five seasons.

The Falcons sit two points clear at the top of their pool going into this weekend’s final round of group games, with second-placed London Wasps away to Welsh giants Ospreys at the same time that Newcastle are in action.

Should Wasps fail to win in Wales then the Falcons could still afford to slip up against Exeter, but Young is harbouring no such thoughts going into the game.

“It’s huge for us on Sunday, because we haven’t been in a Cup semi-final for a number of years now,” said the scrum-half.

“From a supporters’ point of view Cup finals are the sort of occasions that you want to be part of, and then from the club’s angle there’s obviously a Heineken Cup place up for grabs as well.”

Newcastle and Exeter have already met three times this season, and if there is a positive omen for Young’s side then it could be the fact that home advantage has prevailed on every occasion. The Falcons’ ‘home’ victory over the Chiefs, however, came 80 miles away over the Scottish border, with December’s Amlin Challenge Cup game having been moved to Galashiels’ Netherdale ground due to a frozen pitch at Kingston Park. Jeremy Manning’s last-minute penalty was enough to secure a 26-24 victory back then.