First-team coach Toby Booth says Bath Rugby can take plenty of encouragement from last night's 22-20 pre-season defeat at Newport Gwent Dragons as they continue to prepare for the Aviva Premiership opener.
Bath get their season under way with a trip to newly-promoted Newcastle Falcons in another Friday night contest on September 6.
After winning just once on the road in the league last term, better away form will be key to Bath's ambitions in 2013-14 and Booth believes there were enough good signs at Rodney Parade to suggest they have made inroads in that department.
The visitors came within inches of claiming a second straight pre-season win following last weekend's 69-5 drubbing of Bristol at The Rec, but Tom Heathcote saw a penalty drift agonisingly wide with the final kick of the match.
"It's one of the most one-sided losses we've had but this is what pre-season is all about," said Booth.
"We've got a very young group who are learning at a rate of knots, which is very good, and there is plenty to be positive about.
"What we've got out there in the result is irrelevant in relation to the Premiership and where we are going, and it's important we are building for a couple of weeks' time.
"It's certainly a game we can learn more from as the standard of opposition was better and you're away from home – we've talked about that as going on the road is really important.
"The teams that are successful in the Premiership are the teams that do well away from home. It's something we've spoken about and we need to make sure we carry it through.
"It was a very useful exercise in that respect and learning about us as a team, where we are and what we need to put our focus on in the coming weeks for our first game, which is obviously away again on a Friday night."
Dan Evans' try gave Newport an early lead at Rodney Parade before two powerful drives gave Bath their first points as George Ford slotted an easy penalty.
Rob Webber touched down to move the visitors ahead at the break but two kicks from Kris Burton put Dragons back in control.
Antony Watson grabbed a fine solo try as Bath responded but Newport would not roll over and a penalty apiece from Burton and Jason Tovey saw them inch ahead.
The hosts had Lewis Evans and Ian Nimmo sent to the sin-bin in the final ten minutes, allowing Heathcote to move Bath in front with a penalty.
Dragons roared back once more and Tovey split the posts to put them ahead with a minute to play, and Heathcote was unable to respond when Bath were given the chance to win the match with the final kick.
"We started very positively, our set-piece was outstanding and it's been a long time since I have seen two drives go 50m," added Booth.
"We scrummed well, our basics were very good, we've been held up over the line or unsighted over the line – a TMO might have changed that situation – and we dropped the ball over the line once. Despite all that we still had a kick to win the game, so there's certainly plenty to be positive about.
"The challenge for us now is to learn these lessons and learn them quickly.
"We've got a young group and everyone was really positive about what we put together out there, we just need to learn how to get over the final hurdle."
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