Watsonians 3 - 7: Edinburgh Accies: Aitchison defiant but Accies put Watsonians' survival in jeopardy

• MAGIC AT MYRESIDE: Ross Browne leads the charge for Edinburgh Academicals against relegation-threatened Watsonians. Picture: Jayne Emsley

'Sonians displayed the qualities that have deserted them on too many occasions this season, before eventually succumbing 7-3 against an Edinburgh Accies team that played some superb rugby. However, the absence of a cutting edge within sight of the opposition line, combined with a battling defensive effort by the hosts, restricted the Raeburn Place men to a single try.

Aitchison saw his men absorb relentless pressure during the first half then raise the pace in the second period as they sought only their fifth win of the season.

However, they failed to break down the Accies defence and now face a battle for survival. Nevertheless, the coach is not despondent.

"I'm disappointed but we got a bonus point. There's still five league games to go and it's in our hands," he said.

And, admitting that 'Sonians had been fortunate to restrict the deficit to just four points at the break after being comprehensively outplayed, he added, "If it had been a boxing match, we would have been counted out at half time. To have no possession at all and still claim three points was probably more than we deserved. The defence was excellent, we played for each other and it was blood and guts."

Accies had dominated that first period, and were camped on the home line for lengthy spells before Ruaridh Bonner bagged the only try of the game when he fed Tom Drennan then took the return pass from the flanker ten metres out then dived over for a score, which Mike Campbell converted.

It was just reward for Bonner, who was the outstanding contributor during the first half when his perfectly weighted kicks pinned back the 'Sonians defence and his handling sparked repeated attacks by a pacy back division in which Matt Coupar and Dave Rattray were a constant threat.

In the home ranks, it was a case of all hands to the pumps as they repelled wave after wave of attacks, although their cause was hampered by the loss of Jonny Pelter after only two minutes.

Reflecting on that opening 40 minutes, Aitchison's counterpart Ian Barnes said: "In fairness, Watsonians were pretty determined and I thought they defended really well. I don't know how we didn't score in the first half hour for the possession we had."

On a rare sortie into opposition territory, 'Sonians earned a penalty 45 metres out and Mike Ker made a solid contact that was just enough to see the ball creep over the bar.

Such a meagre deficit was more than 'Sonians deserved for their first half contribution, but Aitchison believed they could build on that good fortune after the restart.

"We said at half time not to panic and to show the same composure. We had conceded very few penalties because our discipline was good," he explained. "We worked our way back in, we got our hands on the ball and we got a bit of width but we were turned over at crucial times."

The pattern of play was reversed, with 'Sonians applying all the pressure, but the hosts betrayed their lack of confidence within sight of the line as they squandered several scoring opportunities. Accies were subsequently able to defend their territory outside the danger zone and came close to widening the gap when a drop goal attempt by Bonner was just wide of the mark.

Then, in a tense finale, the visitors held on for the win that should ensure their security. Barnes insists that he has never regarded his side as candidates to take the drop.

"To be honest, relegation was never a consideration as far as I was concerned with the players I've got. We haven't performed but we have had a lot of bad luck," he said. "The target for the season was top five. We're not going to make that but we've had a terrible season with injuries. They've been localised – all the props were injured, then all the centres. At times we've been cobbling a side together."

Aitchison is now looking ahead to locking horns with the sides immediately above and below 'Sonians, as they bid to escape the bottom two. However, he admits that the absence of consistency has been his biggest cause of anguish.

"The difficulty is that the peaks and troughs have been very high and very low. The troughs are hard things to get out of. Winning is a habit and it's far harder to establish than the losing habit," he said.

"Frustration is probably the word that sums up our season."

Scorers: Watsonians: Penalty: Ker. Edinburgh Accies: Try: Bonner. Conversion: Campbell.

Watsonians: S Trotter, A Rowe, D Brown, C Sorbie, M Learmonth, M Ker, J Blackwood, D O'Connell, F Brown, K Coertze, C Masson, J Pelter, G Callander, G Wood, N Dennis. Subs used: T Weizman, M Fedo, J Forbes, G Somerville.

Edinburgh Accies: S Moffat, D Rattray, M Coupar, R Browne, C Dickie, R Bonner, M Campbell, S Patience, D Cherry, D Wright, E Stuart, P Jenkinson, R Snape, T Drennan, D Teague. Subs used: A Lamb, D O'Hagen, R Drummond.

Referee: A McPherson (Livingston)