Saints have long had one of the biggest supports in the country, and the fans were going potty as Saints opened their Guinness Premiership account with a 21-13 win over bogey side Worcester yesterday.

But that huge support became a heavy burden in the club's relegation season when they lost seven games at the Gardens.

Saints are aiming to make sure their home is not a nice place to come to any more, and they got off to the best possible start against the Warriors, who had won four times in a row at Northampton.

Clarke said: "Our home support is amazing and everybody is jealous of it. But we want this place to be our fortress. This win means we are going in the right direction.

"It was quite important to win our first game. It has been a bit nerve-racking really in the build up. Coming from division one, we just wanted to know what the standard is like.

"We have great support and the fact it was the first game of the season put extra pressure on everyone. But the crowd was loud and we defended well and got that win."