Harlequins scrum-half Karl Dickson has admitted that the start of the Heineken Cup this weekend will provide a welcome distraction for the club.

Quins are currently in seventh place in the Aviva Premiership table after three defeats from their opening five matches.

They get their European campaign underway on Saturday when they host Scarlets in Pool 4.

"We would probably say [the season] has been a mixed bag," Dickson told Premiership Rugby's official website.

"We probably haven't hit the ground running as we wanted to but we're not in a bad position in the league.

"It's a marathon, not a sprint and we are looking forward to a different competition in the Heineken Cup."

Harlequins reached the quarter-finals of last year's competition before they were beaten by Munster.