Bath 24 Gloucester 8: Steve Meehan's side win first game at The Rec since April

By Sportsmail Reporter Updated: 10:33 EST, 28 December 2009

Bath boss Steve Meehan is braced for 'a massive game' when his team take on fellow Guinness Premiership strugglers Leeds in Yorkshire.

Sunday's victory over Gloucester - Bath's first league home win since April - kept them three points above bottom club Leeds.

But defeat on Saturday could leave the six-time champions propping up the Premiership table.

'We know it is an important match, a massive game for us,' said Meehan. 'The Premiership is such a tight competition, and it is important for us to keep working and keep improving.'

Fly-half Nicky Little guided Bath home, landing four penalties as they prospered from Gloucester's indiscipline before substitute Jack Cuthbert and wing Matt Banahan posted late tries.

Little added the conversion to Banahan's interception dash as the England international celebrated returning from suspension and signing a new Bath contract in style.

Wales fly-half Nicky Robinson booted a penalty and prop Alasdair Dickinson touched down for the visitors, who have now gone almost three months without an away league success.

They were outgunned during the second period when Bath cranked up intensity levels and scored 21 points.

Meehan said: 'We felt we were the more dangerous side. 'I thought that overall we played the better rugby. Our defence was excellent, our scrum was very good and our line-out got better.'

Gloucester head coach Bryan Redpath had few complaints, saying: 'We never had a great set-piece game to attack from, and you can't give cheap points away, which I thought we did. It was very frustrating.'

Bath's second half of the season, meanwhile, is set to be bolstered by the return of injured playmakers Butch James and Olly Barkley.