WHEN John Brain was banging out Auld Lang Syne Tuesday night, he might as well have been singing about Worcester Rugby Club.

For the New Year fixture list has enough disturbing echoes of the past to make us forget and never bring them to mind.

Certainly Coventry and Exeter bring with them only bad memories from last season after defeats which killed off Worcester's promotion bid.

They were two desperately disappointing displays, utterly redundant of the flair which is now a byword for the style now on show at Sixways.

And despite the frustrating defeat at Rotherham back in November, the mood at Worcester is overwhelmingly positive going into a New Year which promises much.

Three points behind the Millmoor side, they face Coventry at Sixways on Saturday before away trips to Orrell and Exeter. January will prove to be a vital month in Worcester's immediate and long-term future but the games, rather than obstacles, are being viewed as welcome challenges for the director of rugby.

"If we get to the end of the season, and the return match with Rotherham, and we are still within three points or less we will be in a very strong position. What we don't want is that gap to widen at all," said Brain.

"We've always viewed January as a very important month and the players are well aware of that. We talked about it with the squad before Christmas. It is crucial for everyone involved at the club.

"People are obviously looking at away trips to Orrell and Exeter and those games will go a long way to shaping our season. But before that we have Coventry at Sixways and, from last season's bitter experience, we know what can happen if you are not 100 per cent focused.

"We are very positive about the challenges ahead, however. We have reached the half-way point of the season and we've scored more than 90 tries and put together some very good performances of which the players can be proud.

"We had a blip at Rotherham. Our second half performance wasn't good enough but 40 minutes of disappointing rugby is not the end of the world. I think if we can continue to improve in every match from now until the end of the season, then we can be happy with the progress."

Worcester have hardly had the rub of the green with injuries so far this season. Long lay-offs for Christian Evans, David Officer, James Brown and international handicaps with the unavailability of Ben Hinshelwood have punctuated the campaign. But with Hinshelwood free in January and Brown and Officer likely to play some part alongside the returning Evans, the future is looking rosy in the Sixways garden.

Certainly Brain was delighted to see Evans back after two months out with a dislocated collarbone.

"We've made no secret of the fact that losing Christian was a big loss to us all at Worcester," added Brain.

"He is the type of player we would have loved to have had with us at Rotherham but, unfortunately, it wasn't to be.

"It's a big boost for me to have him back involved in the January games. Christian is a very consistent player for us with a lot of experience. That characteristic is going to be an important one for us when we face the challenges of Coventry, Orrell and Exeter.

"I think, though, that we are looking forward to those challenges rather than worrying about them. It's all about looking forward for us and it is something we are excited about."