SWINDON overcame an early injury blow to claim their second win of the season in Southern Counties South away at Yeovil last weekend.

Key man Adam Westall was forced off in the first half, but skipper Mike Thompson and his men recovered to battle to a 24-19 win in Somerset.

The narrow victory came off the back of an agonising one-point loss to Swanage & Wareham the previous weekend.

Thompson was pleased to see his players show mental strength to not only bounce back from that heartbreak, but also to overcome tiredness from the lengthy drive and claim another league win.

Thompson said: “It was a tight game and it was a tough one for us because it’s nearly a two-hour drive down to Yeovil.

“It makes it difficult when you’ve got to drive distances like that because you’re trying to stay relaxed but also making sure your mind is ready to play a game.

“We started well but then Adam Westall picked up an injury early on which disrupted our backs a bit.

“But the lads refocused really well, got on with it and we battled past quite a good outfit in Yeovil.

“We missed a few opportunities, but we managed to stick it out and win, so I was happy with the lads.”

After suffering relegation from South West One East last season, Thompson admits the rebuilding process has taken a little longer than he would have liked, but that job is well under way via some inevitable inconsistencies.

Two victories and two defeats from their opening quartet of fixtures is evidence of that, and the Swindon skipper says a return to doing the basics well will help his side pick up more wins than losses in the coming weeks and months.

Thompson said: “It was a good victory for us in terms of giving us confidence that we can stick out a result if we do the basics well.

“That’s where we can get a bit lost sometimes – when we’re trying a little bit too hard when actually, rugby is a pretty straightforward game if you do the basics really well.

“I think that’s what we did on Saturday to grind out the win. It puts us in a good position moving forward.”

Elsewhere in Southern Counties South, Swindon College Old Boys ground out a 16-7 victory at home to Swanage & Wareham.

Royal Wootton Bassett dominated Salisbury 58-5 at Ballards Ash to extended their 100 per cent record in South West One East, while Supermarine won 18-17 at Amesbury in Dorset & Wilts Two North.