AFTER Newport Gwent Dragons' morale-boosting win against Treviso on Sunday director of rugby Lyn Jones declared that the region was where he felt they would be at the end of September.

It was a statement that seemed a tad gloomy about their prospects given that they have suffered three defeats (two at Rodney Parade) and enjoyed a solitary success against a poor team that most will send packing with ease.

It didn't appear to marry with Jones' pre-season comments about changing the culture at the Dragons and not settling for being basement dwellers.

He would no doubt say that his appraisal was just realistic, that change doesn't happen overnight, that it was always going to take time for new players to be in and that they have also been hindered by a lengthy injury list.

Being glass half-full you could say that the Dragons have bagged their first league four-try bonus point in over two years, got fixtures against two playoff contenders in Glasgow and the Ospreys out of the way along with a trip to Galway, a tough venue for the best of teams.

They haven't started the season with a bang but they sit eighth in the Pro12 table and that's a position that they would love to occupy approaching the end of the year given their upcoming fixtures.

The next two months will reveal what this Dragons side is made of.

They will play nine games in October and November with just two of them, Newcastle in the European Challenge Cup and Munster in the Guinness Pro12, at Rodney Parade.

A daunting trip to the Stade Jean Bouin is on the horizon to face a Stade Francais side that are third in the Top 14 with a record of played seven, won five.

And they are on the road in the next three rounds of the league at Parc y Scarlets, Murrayfield and Ravenhill.

Those fixtures that have yielded a grand total of two points out of a possible 30 in the last two seasons and it would be pretty disappointing if they cannot improve on that strike rate.

The Dragons need to lay the foundations for the season over the next few weeks.

Get it right and they will be able to go on a charge in the league as well as entering the New Year with a chance of securing knockout rugby. Get it wrong and they will be scrambling around with the Italians in the Pro12 and all but out of the LV= Cup and European Rugby Challenge Cup.

The Dragons need to be more cutthroat, they must grasp the chances when they come along and seize games.

Bonus points were earned against Connacht and the Ospreys when late chances were missed while they should have hammered Treviso and racked up the tries rather than scoring just four in a 33-15 success that was slightly nervy.

It has been a spluttering start to the campaign and an improvement is needed over the next few weeks.

Sunday will be particularly interesting against a Scarlets side that have been far too charitable to their opponents this season, gifting both Ulster and Edinburgh a share of the spoils.

The Dragons have never fared well in Llanelli with their sole success coming ahead of the 2007 World Cup when Rhys Thomas, Andy Williams and Gareth Wyatt crossed for tries at Stradey Park.

If they can record a rare win out west then it would turn a solid start into a pretty good one, helping them to work towards a position that enables them to go on a late season charge.

They will enjoy home advantage in five of their last eight Pro12 fixtures with two of their trips being to Italy to face Zebre and Treviso.

The next month or two will determine whether they are playing for pride or for a place in the top half for the first time since 2005.