Bath 16 Edinburgh 9

The Heineken Cup game between Bath and Edinburgh on Sunday, December 13 2009.

Bath clung on to claim their first victory in the Heineken Cup but still need to win all their remaining games, and get help from elsewhere, to progress from Pool Four.

First-half tries from Pieter Dixon and Michael Stephenson provided the platform for only Bath's third victory in all competitions this season.

Nicky Little kicked his second penalty in the 72nd minute but Bath only just held on in a frantic last five minutes.

No sooner had Dixon trotted out as a late replacement for Lee Mears than the hooker found himself on the scoresheet.

Bath monopolised 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 was wide but the Fijian fly-half made amends within a couple of minutes with a penalty after Phil Godman was caught in possession.

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, 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 undermined 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.

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 and a penalty to the corner cranked up the pressure, but for the first time this season the home side held out at the death.