By Leipziger
July 16 2013

After Jersey at the back-end of November, the final away match of 2012 was in Newport in the British & Irish Cup.

Rodney Parade had changed a bit since the Falcons tamed the Dragons there in the Heineken Cup mud in 2004, with sizeable stands on both sides of the pitch now, but despite what was considered a quite poor performance, the 100% record was kept intact.

I don't think many of us ever thought we'd spend New Year's Day in Doncaster, at least not those of us who don't know anybody there. But that was what the Knights gave us, by moving the match forward from Saturday 5 January to the opening afternoon of 2013.

Castle Park has some of the newer facilities in the Championship (or National One now, the Knights having been relegated) with a large wing-shaped stand that has a quite cheap bar underneath. Not forgetting the delicious cow pie! I consider myself a connoisseur of steak pie, but this really was quite something.

That game in Doncaster will be remembered for Zach Kibirige's pair of tries that showed a player with raw speed and talent, both of which we have to hope are improved rather than coached out of him over the coming years.

After a scrappy win over Connacht Eagles at KP in the Bandi Cup, that group campaign was to be completed in Cross Keys in the middle of January, but heavy snow in Wales meant the game was postponed. The Falcons' next Championship match,, at home to Cornish Pirates, was also called off due to snow and the club's desire to keep the pitch in decent nick for the England Saxons v Scotland A game on 1 February, coincidentally the same night that the Cross Keys match was eventually played.

I'd never seen mud like it, and on a chilly, wet night in the Valleys I imagine the Falcons were happy to get the five points and get out. The forwards were covered from head to toe within minutes. Fortunately for the dozen or so away fans (if we include Smithy, James Goode and of course debutant Ollie Stedman's father, who is a thoroughly nice geezer) the clubhouse and its bar, complimented by two small stands and a path up a big hill, was a bit warmer and dryer. Perhaps a bit too welcoming though, as come the morning I was regretting the consumption of a lot of alcohol with some very friendly home fans.

The landlord of the inn I stayed at banged on the door at about 7.30am to tell me breakfast was ready, and they probably heard the groan back in Newcastle. Apt, as Brown Ale did most of the damage. Anyway, I made it back to Cardiff and was then regretting booking a coach back to London rather than the train. Conveniently, I missed the bus as I thought it went at 9.45am rather than 9.15am, and just hopped on a train and got home earlier than if I'd taken the coach. Then I collapsed asleep before the England v Scotland game.

It was no less muddy a week later, when the Falcons' ever-popular trip to Headingley became a trip to Otley, a nice town in the north of Leeds. The only thing wrong with it was that Waitrose was the only place to get breakfast at 10am, ahead of the midday kick-off. It's also the only time I've ever encountered someone pre-match who said “No, don't go to the rugby, come to my church, you'll find it far more fulfilling.” I wouldn't bet on it, love.

In front of just over 1,000 fans, probably more than half of whom were cheering for the league leaders, the Falcons pulled off a tight win but unrest began creeping in on the terraces, even in the makeshift South Stand with its hole in the roof. Still, we were 20 wins from 20 competitive games, can't argue with that. Otley also had a very long clubhouse with several bars, so there was plenty to look at and enjoy in our surroundings, indoors at least.

The winning run was extended to 22 games with successive home wins over Moseley and Cornish Pirates.

Then came one of the most bizarre days of the season. Following Cross Keys and Otley, and perhaps with a premonition of what was to come in Nottingham and Plymouth, most Falcons fans headed to Rotherham prepared for another rough wintry day. Instead, we got warm sunshine and the shirt sleeves were out on the balcony at the Yorkshire club. It was quite a strange one, though those of us stood around the corner from the well-hidden members' bar at least had easy access to some mind-clearing beer, unlike those who patronised the absolutely rammed main bar (where the heating seemed to be on!).

It was another win on the narrow Clifton Lane pitch, though the Titans made a game of it after a roaring start from the Falcons. Still unbeaten heading into two top-of-the-table clashes.

Normal service was resumed just under three weeks later. After keeping the unbeaten record intact by doubling Bedford at KP, thanks to a late Noah Cato try on his debut, the Falcons headed to Nottingham for another first v second clash.

The weather was quite awful. It was cold, with blizzards before, during and after the match, and most fans were happy to see a late Joel Hodgson penalty seal the win and get back to the wood-fired warmth of the Trent Bridge Inn, up the road from the cricket ground that recently saw a lively weekend of Anglo-Australian combat.

Although Meadow Lane itself, one of the first football stadiums to be completely renovated in the style of modern grounds, did have a nice bar underneath the end stand. Not much atmosphere though – with only 2,500 in stands that could accommodate eight times that number, perhaps that not surprising. I wonder how Nottingham can afford the rent, especially when they play Fridays.

Mind, one away fan at the penultimate match of the regular season, down in Plymouth, swore that she had never been as cold as on her trip to the Brickfields. I must say I'm a little sceptical of such a claim from someone who must have been to at least a few hundred matches at Kingston Park.

It was wet though, even approaching the back of the biggest stand – a strange, narrow but tall terrace with the corporate bar underneath. If you ever go, just act nonchalently and don't try to pay for your drinks, that was my mistake.

Opposite that is a small main stand, with marquees behind one end and an uncovered seated stand at the other, which I believe has been ruled unsafe.

The bars in the marquees were good though, with a lot of friendly home fans and better food than you get at a lot of grounds. One had a disco, but unfortunately some of us didn't discover it until 15 minutes before a taxi was due to take us back into town for a curry.

Still, at least the hotel bar had Brown Ale! Not to mention a big breakfast the following morning.

The last game of the Championship season proper obviously saw the unbeaten record go at home to Bristol, but there was more to come. Three unforgettable away games, one at Leeds and two in Bedford, that decided the Falcons' fate for 2012/13.