Newcastle 15 Leeds 16

The Guinness Premiership game between Newcatle and Leeds at Kingston Park on Sunday Dec 27 2009.

They might still be bottom of the Guinness Premiership, but Leeds Carnegie director of rugby Andy Key is now willing to put money on the Yorkshire club not being there at the end of the season.

Key backed his players to avoid relegation after they overcame Henry Paul's 71st-minute sin-binning to grind out a second league win this term amid snow and sleet to keep second-bottom Bath in touching distance ahead of their showdown at Headingley on Saturday.

"We may not have the best squad or the deepest squad but what we do have is one that hugely believes in what its objectives are and the way they are playing, bet on us staying up, I would," Key said.

"We have huge belief in ourselves and we feel very strongly that we will be staying up. When it stays up it will be a squad effort so our unity is massive for us. We are huge believers that you have to say what you believe in. We know we have the ability in the side and the right temperament."

Key was understandably optimistic because his charges withstood Newcastle's second-half barrage at Kingston Park that intensified after Paul was penalised for deliberately obstructing Jimmy Gopperth.

At that point, Leeds had been in command thanks to Ceiron Thomas's hat-trick of penalties and No8 Alfie To'oala's close-range try that was converted by Joe Ford just before-half-time.

Henry's infringement allowed Gopperth to score a fifth penalty to set up a nerve-jangling finale but Leeds held firm despite his absence at a ground only made playable by volunteers' snow-clearing efforts.

"Our players showed unbelievable character and with Worcester, Sale and Gloucester all losing and us and Bath winning we're making it tough at the bottom and hopefully others will tumble around us," Key added.

"We've had to learn some heavy lessons over the last few weeks and what we've seen is the ability to put those lessons into practice.

"We lacked a bit of composure a few weeks ago against Harlequins and Sale when (head coach) Neil Back and I were critical as regards our ability to stay in front so this was a step in the right direction - even if it wasn't pretty."

Steve Bates, Newcastle's director of rugby, played down suggestions his team could be dragged into the mire.

"If every game is played in those conditions then every team will be in a relegation scrap but we must be very careful not to over-react to what was in effect a bit of a lottery," said Bates. "We can learn lessons but should not start to push any buttons with panic written on them.

"You can't under-estimate the effect of conditions. It doesn't matter where you are in the table. They will end being a complete mess and the game pretty much was."