Prop Golding holds Newcastle Falcons Heineken Cup dream

Golding has been with Falcons since 2006 after signing from Rotherham

Newcastle Falcons prop Jon Golding believes the club has a realistic chance of qualifying for next season's Heineken Cup competition.

Falcons sit in the Premiership top six, and are home quarter-finalists in the European Challenge Cup, both potential routes into Europe's premier prize.

"If we can keep on winning then why can't we go on and push for that?" Golding said to BBC Newcastle.

"We just take one step at a time and see where we go."

He added: "We've got a belief in the side that we can win any game we play."

Falcons last made it into the Heineken Cup in the 2004-05 season, where having topped a pool including Perpignan, Newport-Gwent Dragons and Edinburgh, Rob Andrew's side were outclassed by finalists Stade Francais in the quarter-finals at the Parc des Princes in Paris.

Five seasons later, few members of that side remain in the current line-up at Kingston Park, and only a handful of players have figured in the competition with other clubs.

"I've never played in the Heineken Cup, it'd be something really nice and it would be a great competition to be part of," Golding continued.

"I'm sure everyone here wants to be part of it, it'd be a really good goal to have to push on for that and hopefully test ourselves at the top level."

England Saxons cap Golding, born in Morpeth, enjoyed spells with Northampton and Rotherham prior to his return to the North East during the summer of 2006.

Meanwhile four Newcastle players have been named in the England Under-16 squad.

Prop forward Scott Wilson, flankers Jack Allcock and Hugo Peterson and fly-half Jonathan Burn are the players called-up for a three-day development camp at Abingdon School between 16-19 February.