In what could prove to be the most important win of the season, the Villagers dug in, battled hard, and ultimately held on, for a tight 21-15 victory over Paisley on Saturday.

With the relegation battle hotting up, and the fate of Waysiders as yet undecided, both sides went into this fixture knowing that every point would be crucial in the battle to avoid the second relegation spot from Division 2

It was the Villagers who struck first, Captain Ruairidh West securing the opening try, with Cammy Quinn adding the conversion for an early 7 point lead. Paisley were not to be outdone and quickly pulled one back, the missed conversion narrowing the gap to 2 points.

The Villagers were enjoying the better of the contact areas and it was fellow prop James Brown who got Uddingston's second try of the afternoon, crashing over from close range. Quinn again added the extras and the Villagers went into the half time break with a 14-5 advantage.

With the match finely balanced, it was Paisley who hit back next. A quick fire converted try, followed by a well struck penalty, added a further 10 points to their tally, and nudged them ahead on the scoreboard for the first time in the match.

If the opening periods of this match had been tense, the closing quarter was a nail biter. With play moving from end to end, the Villagers managed to create enough space for Matt Watson to use his pace to power over for the crucial try. Quinn made it 3 from 3, giving the Villagers a 21-15 lead heading into the closing phases.

Digging deep, the Villagers threw everything into their defence, holding back the relentless Paisley attack and secured the win.

With a vital 4 league points secured the Villagers have 5 fixtures remaining to maintain their division 2 status. The biggest of these is likely to be the trip to Helensburgh on the 2nd of April in what could be a winner takes all battle. More immediately, the Villagers are back in action next Saturday, 12/03, when Oban make the trip to Castle Policies. Kick off at 12 noon to allow everybody to watch Italy v Scotland