Bath snare the ball from the Falcons line-out. Key interception by captain Stuart Hooper but Falcons ruck well enough to win a penalty at the breakdown.

First quarter gone and it's the Falcons who have the advantage. Scrum head and feed for the visitors.

Falcons concede a penalty at the scrum, big opportunity for Bath to clear their lines and Ollie Devoto sends a stonking kick into touch.

Bath march them back in position inside the opposition half but then infringe at the line-out. Falcons penalty.

Indiscipline costing the home team there.

Huge break by Marcus Watson puts Newcastle right into the Bath 22, a jink and a step. Matt Banahan eventually gets him down to save the try. Brilliant play though.

Newcastle eventually pinged for accidental offside and we get a Bath scrum.

Relief for Mike Ford's side. Falcons showing plenty of adventure at the moment.

Image source, Getty Images

Falcons camped on the line... just held up!

Newcastle have a penalty advantage and are driving for the line... Mike Delany takes the kick to touch when the maul collapses and we'll have another line-out...

Both sides are making handling errors, to be fair both sides also trying to promote the ball.

We had an offload from Taione Vea a moment ago that Sonny Bill Williams would have been proud of.

Now Falcons have a scrum in a good position which turns into a penalty and a mini-scruffle.

Mike Delany is going to clump to touch. Falcons line-out in the Bath 22.

Big shove by Bath but Falcons get the ball out and Tane Takulua eventually box-kicks downfield.

Tom Homer underneath and after a couple of Bath phases, Ollie Devoto bangs the ball out in the Falcons half to turn them round. Visitors line-out.

Tom Homer fails to land it. It was a real way out. Falcons drop out on the 22 and the ball is returned with the big shift to the right.

Lots of possession for the hosts at the moment. Shift to the left and Jeff Williams is downed... then Bath knock on at the Falcons 22 and we finally come back for a Falcons scrum.

Falcons prop Rob Vickers comes out with a bloodied ear and has given away a penalty at the set-piece.

Too far out to slot over? Er, no. Tom Homer's going for it.

Stalemate at the scrum at the moment.

First one of the game, been reset twice now.

Four minutes in. No scores.

Both teams have coughed up cheap possession from knock-ons.

Bath centre Max Clark just carved a line through the Falcons line before the ball was dropped loose.

Home side have a scrum just inside the Falcons half. Scrappy opening phases.

Kane Palma-Newport
Bath prop on BBC Radio Bristol

Mike Delany hammers the kick-off downfield into the Bath 22 and we're underway.

Bath owner Bruce Craig is here too...

Stuart Hooper leads out his Bath players to a rapturous reception, it's a welcome return from injury for him.

Will the Rec crowd warm to the Blue Black and Whites or will the Falcons 'wreck' their hopes... we're almost ready.

Newcastle have the second least prolific attack and the second highest points conceded in the Premiership in 2015-16.

That said they've beaten big guns such as Leicester and Northampton since the turn of the year, so they have the pedigree to do a job - if they can keep it tight on their own line.

All-Black half-back Mike Delany brings international quality to the Falcons side, and after injury has started to impose himself on the team's style of play.

He has a strong kicking game, doesn't mind a scoot from the ruck and along with Sonatane Takulua and 'second five-eighth' centre Juan Pablo Socino will pose a threat to Bath's power-play back-line.

Image source, Getty Images

Without the craft of Kyle Eastmond alongside him tonight, Matt Banahan's direct game will be key.

The 6ft 7in centre is a big ball carrier and he'll certainly be targeting Chris Harris and Juan Pablo Socino in the opposition midfield.

He wraps up tacklers, tires them out and can slot into the pack in emergencies. Might be a big part of the game tonight.

Image source, Getty Images

It's fair to say Newcastle Falcons director of rugby Dean Richards enjoys a trip to the Rec.

However tonight's game might be a little different to his own experiences of playing there against Bath with Leicester Tigers.

"There's nothing better," he told BBC Newcastle.

"Years ago you'd go down there on a Friday night and it used to be a hell of a punch-up. How rugby has changed.

"It's a lot more sanitised now, but at the same time it's still a tough place to go and the players know it'll be a difficult game."

Image source, Getty Images

Few would have considered Bath finishing in the bottom half of the Premiership table before the big kick-off, but with seven games remaining that is the fate that could befall last season's runners-up.

The target for head coach Mike Ford is to guarantee elite European rugby for next season, and that push starts with the visit of a Falcons side that beat them in the reverse fixture at Kingston Park.

"The form we've shown this year hasn't been great obviously and we've got to show better form for these last seven games," he told BBC Radio Bristol.

"The only game we're concentrating on is Newcastle, then there are six games and we want to get a bit of momentum.

"We got out-enthused up there, we talked about that this week, they came with a certain plan and executed it. It's going to be a tough game but it's one we're confident we can win."

Image source, Getty Images