IT'S been 32 months and 59 games since Leinster were downed at Rodney Parade, the Dragons' last big scalp in the league.

Lyn Jones men welcomed the Irish province to Newport on a cold January night in 2016 and took the spoils 23-13 thanks to a determined defensive display.

Granted, the list of Leinster absentees was lengthy but the men from Dublin still boasted Ben Te'o, Luke McGrath, Ian Madigan, Zane Kirchner, Richardt Strauss and Jordi Murphy in their side plus a glut of youngsters who are now stars such as Garry Ringrose, Adam Byrne, Dan Leavy and Tadhg Beirne.

The Dragons prevented their visitors from going to the top of the table and in the process climbed above Zebre to 10th in the 12-team league.

It wasn't Leinster's first team but it still constituted a scalp, an eye-catching result that they haven't repeated in almost three years.

There have been notable European Challenge Cup wins – Gloucester away in the quarter-final, Brive and Bordeaux-Begles – but nothing in the PRO14.

As a writer covering the region, I have grown used to counting the streaks: it's been 35 games since they won on the road in the league, 22 fixtures since they triumphed in a league derby, 13 since they won in Ireland, 10 straight losses since their solitary success in Llanelli, 7 since their only win at the Ospreys.

The Dragons are a team that fail to stick it to the bookies and they are in desperate need of a win that will make the rest of Wales, Ireland, Scotland, Italy and South Africa sit up and take notice.

The September successes against Southern Kings and Zebre were commendable but they weren't earth-shattering; eyebrows would not have been raised upon reading the result.

Last season they came close twice – drawing against Ulster when they should have won and against Glasgow when they should have lost – but didn't get over the line.

That has to change if the Dragons are to change the way that the rest of the league sees them, but more importantly to retain the support of those that hold them dear.

For all the talk of progress and laying foundations, patience is getting thin among many of those that have kept digging deep for season tickets despite year upon year of frustration.

Supporters want to see wins but not just against peers, who are the South Africans, Italians, Connacht and Edinburgh for the Dragons.

They want to upset the odds once in a while, to enjoy raucous celebrations after sending a Welsh rival or Irish heavyweight packing.

Punters long for occasions like when the Ospreys were riled or Munster were beaten in the snow and ice.

The 2009/10 campaign was the stuff of dreams: Paul Turner's side completed a Newport grand slam of Irish provinces.

The Dragons can't be that greedy anymore, just one win would do against Leinster on December 1, Munster on January 26 or Ulster on March 3.

In fact, it is imperative because supporters are becoming more and more reluctant to put up with disappointments.

The derby against Cardiff Blues used to sell itself but last weekend, admittedly not in the helpful festive period, the attendance figure released was just 7,376, that despite a large number of freebies.

The Dragons hierarchy, for all their talk of engaging with the Gwent public, should be worried by that. The loyal core is getting smaller and the ground doesn't seem to be as full, despite the tickets-sold figures.

If they speak to supporters, the long-suffering ones who past regimes have taken for granted, then they will know that they want to see some genuine evidence of progress before they part with their cash again.

Chairman David Buttress wrote in the Cardiff Blues matchday programme: "We need you, our fans and the many successful businesses based in the area, to come and see what we are now building."

That excitement, not to mention backing of sponsors, will only come with a big win or two. Hopefully against Clermont Auvergne or Northampton in Europe, but also in the PRO14.

Last season Benetton, Edinburgh, Zebre and Connacht all managed to be banana skins for title hopefuls, it was just the Dragons and Southern Kings that failed to cause a shock.

The South Africans have already put that right this season by stunning Glasgow in Port Elizabeth, a result that only adds to the pressure on Jackman & Co to topple a big gun.

And this isn't just a question of budgets, Paul Turner's teams managed to provide the odd high despite being relative paupers.

Rodney Parade always used to have an element of peril for those at the top end of the table, as the head coach highlighted in his 2010 autobiography 'Blue Blood'.

"We've always found Rodney Parade a tricky spot to get any kind of result in and even if we had our full selection we'd be wary of them," wrote Jackman in a diary entry ahead of Leinster's 2009 Magners League game in Newport, which he was captain for.

The Dragons ran out 30-14 victors on that December evening. The former Ireland hooker desperately needs to mastermind a similar feat in his second season at the helm.