London Irish led with seconds left

The west country team snatched the crucial 18-15 victory in the dying seconds when replacement wing Elvis Seveali'i raced over to cancel out Barry Everitt's injury-time drop goal.

Match report: Bath 18-15 London Irish

Bath's win lifted them off the bottom of the Zurich Premiership into ninth place, two points above last-placed Newcastle and one point clear of London Irish and Bristol.

And Foley knew how important the result is for the former giants, who have two games left in which to preserve their Premiership status.

The focus coming into this game was very special Bath coach Michael Foley

"It's very important to keep us alive. I think we all feel sheer elation and relief and considerable satisfaction," said Foley.

"We're still breathing and live to fight another day. One thing I will say is that these players never give up.

"The focus coming into this game was very special and it's fantastic the emotion that has been involved."

But Bath may have to continue their relegation battle without playmaker Mike Catt.

The England and Lions star hurt his troublesome hamstring in the closing minutes.

"Mike is being checked over by our medical staff and it's too early to make an assessment of just how serious the injury might be," said Foley.

Catt will almost certainly not be considered for Bath's Parker Pen Challenge Cup semi-final first leg at Saracens on Sunday.

We won't give up until the last day London Irish's Barry Everitt

London Irish fly-half Everitt was left rueing his side's misfortune at letting the match slip from their control.

"It's deeply depressing - to lose in injury time is gut-wrenching," he said.

"I thought we'd done enough to pull the victory out and get off the bottom but we're back down there again.

"Bath kept fighting all the way. They kept in touch all the way and I suppose at the end they deserved to get their points.

"But I thought we'd clinched another one in injury time for the second week in a row.

"I thought we were going to come away with the win but we have three games left, two at home and one away, so we're going have to work very, very hard now.