CORNISH Pirates skipper Gavin Cattle was full of praise for his side as they returned to winning ways in the Championship with a 27-12 victory over Coventry at the Butts Park Arena.

Having come unstuck the week previous at home to Doncaster Knights, the visiting Cornishmen knew they needed a big performance in the Midlands to help cement their place within the division's play-off zone.

Thankfully for Cattle and his fellow team-mates, they duly delivered the goods on a freezing Friday night thanks to tries from Rhys Jones, Tyrone Holmes and Rob Cook, the latter of whom kicked the remainder of the visiting points.

The victory – an eighth of the season for the Pirates – not only ensured they returned to the Championship's top five, but at the same time triggered an unhappy homecoming for Coventry who, because of their current financial plight, had been forced to play their last home fixture against Bedford Blues at the city's Rioch Arena.

Sources in the Midlands confirmed ahead of kick-off that there are rescue plans currently being drawn up to try and help Coventry pull themselves out of administration. However, the current state of affairs is hardly encouraging and it is little wonder some of their key players have already looked for pastures new.

Ahead of kick-off, however, the major talking point was not that of the club's current survival plans – but whether or not their clash with the Pirates would indeed take place at all. Two nights of heavy frost had made the Butts Park surface rock solid and potentially dangerous. However, following chats with captains from both sides and other club officials, match referee Mark Wilson deemed the pitch playable.

With the ruling "game on" – it was the Pirates who were first out of the traps, quickly establishing a 6-0 lead thanks to two early penalties from Cook's right boot.

Although the visitors lost recalled hooker Rob Elloway to a knee injury early in the game, they continued to dominate not only possession, but also territory.

Sadly, they could not transfer that pressure into points as first centre Nick Jackson spilled the ball just inches from the line; Tongan winger Aisea Havili was deemed to have been held up by two Coventry defenders following a sharp dart down the right flank; then fly-half Jonny Bentley also had a touchdown chalked off for an adjudged forward pass from Jackson.

Visiting pressure did finally pay off when, three minutes before the break, Jones was on hand to cash in on a lovely handling move from the Pirates' backs to score their opening try, which Cook converted.

An early Phil Mackenzie try – converted by Ollie Grove – gave Coventry renewed impetus for the start of the second half. However, the Pirates hit back with two quickfire tries to pull themselves clear once more.

Flanker Holmes was first over, burrowing his way over from close range following a pass from Cattle, while Cook intercepted a pass on halfway to glide in under the sticks to make it 27-7.

Almost from the restart, a defensive lapse allowed Coventry's Aaron Carpenter to charge over for a second try. However, that would be as good as it would get for the home side, whose main aim now is merely to keep themselves solvent.

Afterwards, a pleased Cattle said: "Tonight was a big result for us, especially in these extreme conditions. Looking back some may have questioned whether we should have played or not, but we did and I'm more than happy to come away with the points and a half- decent performance.

"It was probably the ideal response after the Doncaster game. That game was a massive low for all of us and we were desperate to put things right. We know we have things in our locker and that we have the ability, so it's frustrating at times when we don't produce it, a bit like last Sunday.

"Tonight, though, I'm really proud of the boys because to get a win up here is not that easy. Coventry are in a pretty desperate state at the moment and sometimes when you find yourself in that kind of situation, you all pull together and give it a right good go. Fair play to them, they came out and gave it a go tonight. Thankfully, we did enough to get the win and the points."

Friday's victory not only helped renew confidence in the Pirates' ranks, but at the same time gave them a timely fillip ahead of their forthcoming showdown with Plymouth Albion at Camborne on December 27.

Having lost earlier in the season to Albion, Cattle admits the Pirates want to gain some revenge. He added: "We know what Plymouth bring to the table. Obviously we had a lot of injuries when we played up there earlier in the season, but those boys are back now so we are looking forward to putting a few things right.

"This is a crucial period for us and we need to pick up as many wins as possible. That means we need to try and beat those sides who are around us in the table. If you look at the table, it's going to be a real dogfight for those top eight places, so we don't want to get involved too much in that. We want to qualify for the play-offs as quickly as possible and to do that you have to win your games."