SWINDON skipper Mike Thompson says the knowledge that his side are safe from relegation is all the medicine he needs as he prepares to go under the knife today.

Thompson suffered a ruptured bicep as Swindon drew 25-25 at Banbury on April 1 but was back on the field at the weekend to help his side beat Chippenham 35-29, a result that secures the Greenbridge Road side’s survival in South West One East.

A run of six wins in their previous eight games has seen Sean Lynn’s men pull clear of the drop zone and they are now up to eighth in the table, 10 points clear of the bottom two with just one game to go.

Thompson admits he had to play through the pain barrier for his side but the rewards come the final whistle on Saturday were well worth it.

“I played as it was the last home game of the season and I wanted to make sure that we got what we needed and now I can have my surgery,” said Thompson.

“I have ruptured my bicep so I need to get it reattached to my arm. I did it against Banbury but I didn’t have my appointment booked in until this week so I managed to play against Chippenham but I need it done now.

“We have done the job now and the boys can take it easy against Grove in the final game in two weeks’ time safe in the knowledge that we will still be here next year.”

Chippenham made the short trip up the M4 also desperate for victory to guarantee they would beat the drop, meaning a pulsating game was played out at Greenbridge Road.

However, it was Swindon who came out on top courtesy of tries from Johnny Morrison, Sam Williams, Connal Knott and Adam Westall, with the latter also adding 15 points with the boot.

After putting together a stunning sequence of results to haul themselves away from danger, Thompson was quick to laud the spirit within the camp.

“It was a brilliant win. Not only was it beating a bit of a local rival at home, it should see us safe now,” said Thompson.

“It was an important game for us and vital for both teams, really. Straight from the off everyone was throwing everything into it.

“It was a hell of a game, very physical and both teams played really well. We were just the lucky ones to come away with the result.

“We are in great form at the moment and we knew we had to do that. We had a poor start but after Christmas, we knew that had to change otherwise we would be going down.

“I couldn’t be any prouder of the lads, they’ve all pulled it out of the bag when they needed to.”