Breathing space for Bath
Bath got off the mark with their first victory in this season's Heineken Cup but are still facing an uphill struggle to qualify from Pool Four.
Last Updated: 13/12/09 5:48pm
Bath got off the mark with their first victory in this season's Heineken Cup but are still facing an uphill struggle to qualify from Pool Four.
First-half tries from Pieter Dixon and Michael Stephenson set up just the west country strugglers' third victory in all competitions this season.
Nicky Little kicked his second penalty in the 72nd minute but the hosts only just held on in a frantic last five minutes.
Barely a minute after Dixon trotted out as a late replacement for Lee Mears, the hooker found himself on the scoresheet.
Bath dominated possession from the kick-off until Nick Abendanon's outside break released Stephenson, and although he was brought down just short of the line, quick ball from the ruck was transferred inside by Little for Dixon to touch down.
Little's conversion attempot was wide but the Fijian fly-half made amends within a couple of minutes with a penalty after Phil Godman was caught holding on on the ground.
Edinburgh skipper Chris Paterson pulled back three points with a penalty on 13 minutes following Julian Salvi's late charge on the full-back.
And Paterson made it 8-6 after 21 minutes after Bath infringed at a scrum just inside their 22.
There was plenty of width and movement from both sides but the visitors' ambition proved their undoing on the half hour.
Attempting to run out of their own 22 - almost unheard of in this season of aerial bombardments - Edinburgh conceded a line-out and Bath kept possession until quick ruck ball allowed Tom Cheeseman to send Stephenson in at the corner for an unconverted try.
Edinburgh's cause was not helped in the 34th minute when fly-half Godman was shown a yellow card for verbal abuse of referee Alain Rolland.
But Nick de Luca made light of the man disadvantage, intercepting a wayward pass on his own 22 and was only just hauled down by Abendanon.
Paterson then made it 13-9 after Hape was guilty of a high tackle on scrum-half Greg Laidlaw.
Nervous
Little might have eased the pressure on his increasingly nervous team-mates with a 65th-minute penalty but the long-range effort struck the bar.
At the other end, Edinburgh spurned a kickable penalty but replacement fly-half David Blair, seeking the corner, kicked the ball dead.
Little, who had landed only one kick in five, finally found the target from 45 metres with eight minutes remaining but Edinburgh came straight back with a break down the left by Tim Visser.
Blair took the inside pass only to be hauled down and Bath not only forced a scrum but shoved the visitors off the ball.
Bath defended desperately in the closing minutes, holding off concerted Edinburgh pressure from an attacking lineout in the corner to record a rare - and possibly precious - victory.
