CRAIG Warlow, pictured, has delivered a pointed new year's message to the Newport Gwent Dragons board.

The experienced outside half, who changed the course of the game against the Ospreys on Sunday to help give the Dragons a much needed victory, urges them to move ahead.

"We've got to put things in place and ensure we don't feel left behind. We can't stand still because others will move forward," he said.

"Overall the standard is a step-up from last season and it's a massive step-up from the Welsh Premier Division a few years ago. The resources need to increase year after year.

"On the field, we are all hoping to take it on now. The boys are really pleased, there's a buzz about the place and deservedly so.

"We worked very hard to beat the Ospreys and we'll have another hard week for the Connacht game. But we're positive and we feel our destiny is in our own hands now."

The Dragons face bottom Celtic League team Connacht at Rodney Parade on Friday night, but the Irish team are fresh from their victory over Ulster, something the Dragons failed to achieve at home in September.

It's another must-win game for the Dragons as they seek Heineken Cup qualification next season. "We will try to carry the confidence through and hope for another win," said Warlow.

"We have to string some performances together and grow. The first 30 minutes against the Ospreys were error strewn, but in the second half we applied pressure and got the basics right which carried us to victory."

Dragons coach Paul Turner warned that Connacht won't be easy. "They should have beaten the Ospreys and they pushed Llanelli," he said.

"They also beat Worcester and they won against Montpelier in France so it was no surprise they beat Ulster.

"But we can't pat ourselves on the back yet. We've had difficulty with a small squad, but we're in better shape than we were at the start of the season when we had no Lions or Welsh internationals playing. We've had more injuries now, but we haven't lost this year!"

There are likely to be few changes for the Connacht game, though Warlow can expect to start at outside half and lock Luke Charteris and flanker Jamie Ringer could come back into consideration after injuries.