FULL back Chris Pennell says Worcester Warriors have given themselves a sniff of a chance of avoiding the drop after defeating relegation rivals Newcastle Falcons on Sunday.
But the Sixways star insisted there was still a long way to go as Warriors look to overhaul a nine-point deficit on Newcastle with four games remaining in the Aviva Premiership.
There was nothing between the two sides at Kingston Park before replacement Andy Symons superbly set up Josh Drauniniu for the match-winning try late on.
And Pennell praised the players who came off the bench for helping to clinch a 17-12 win which ends Worcester’s 22-match losing streak as well as keeping their survival hopes alive.
“It was a pretty awful game to be honest, but there is just a big feeling of relief now to finally get the win,” Pennell said.
“It was not particularly accurate at times and it certainly was not pretty, but at the vital moments the guys stepped up.
“I thought the impact from the bench was immense with guys like Andy Symons making the break for the try, Paul Andrew making two or three turnovers at key points, Ed Shervington with his set pieces and Semisi Taulava was just smashing people, so I could not be prouder of how well the boys performed.”
However, Pennell said Warriors now need to use the victory as a springboard as they gear up for the final four games of the season, which includes home games against Exeter Chiefs and Gloucester.
“We all know to a man that the job is not done,” he added. “There are four games left and we are nine points back, so there is an awful long way to go.
“But this win gives us a sniff of a chance. If it had not gone our way it would have been incredible tough with the run-in we have got whereas now we can start to see a bit of light at the end of the tunnel.
“There are some big obstacles in the way first, but we will be chucking absolutely everything at it to just give ourselves a shot of playing in the Premiership next year.”