RELIEVED Jon Callard took aim at the critics and Bath's performance as "heroic'' after they claimed their fourth league victory of the season.

The head coach saw his side bounce back from their Wasps horror show and then blasted the snipers who had questioned the hunger of his squad.

"What happened at Wasps hurt,'' admitted the former England full-back.

"There was a lot of criticism aimed at the players from people outside the club about them not being motivated or having the hunger, but out there we showed we were motivated. They were heroic.

"The lads got through an enormous amount of work and what pleased me was how effective they were against a very good Gloucester pack. We probably could have scored two or three tries but our priority was to get a good win in terms of our performance.''

But Callard and assistant Michael Foley both cautioned against complacency in the aftermath of a victory that gives Bath a little more breathing space.

Foley said: "It is only one match. But it's exciting for the players that they came away with a win.''

Callard added: "We're not getting carried away, this is just the start for us. But I'm pleased about the work we put in during the week, especially in the pack which is a credit to the coaches.

"All games are must-win for us. There's pressure from everywhere but the key for us was to keep the ball.''

Gloucester chief Phillippe Saint-Andre was unhappy at the penalty count against his side and claimed: "I am very disappointed but it's not just the referee. It's very difficult to win games when you have no ball.

"Our lineout was a disaster and when that didn't work, we panicked.''