Chris Paterson hopes Glasgow go on to win the Magners League title after feeling the pain of his Edinburgh side missing out on the play-offs.

The Scotland full-back has been missing through injury as Edinburgh failed to capitalise on good early-season form.

"I think it is hugely important," he said of Glasgow's qualification.

"Congratulations to Glasgow and, as a Scotsman, I hope they go as far as possible and I only wish we were there to back them up."

Edinburgh's hopes were effectively dashed when they slumped to a 37-25 defeat by Ulster in their final home game of the season on Sunday.

It is still arithmetically possible for Rob Moffat's side to qualify for the top four, but it would take an unlikely series of final-day results for them to join Glasgow in the first-ever league play-offs.

The last home game is what people will go away over the summer and remember, so that was a big disappointment for us Edinburgh full-back Chris Paterson

"Last week, I thought both could make it," said Paterson. "I thought Glasgow could maybe get a home tie and we could sneak in and we could maybe even play each other, which would be great.

"Not to make excuses, but the constraints on our budgets and our squad size, for both Scottish pro teams, shouldn't really allow us to compete with the budget and squad size of other teams."

Paterson has been out of action since picking up a serious kidney injury playing for Scotland against Wales in February.

"It is a slow recovery," he said. "It is 10 weeks now since the game in Cardiff, but the last two weeks have seen a big difference.

"The honest answer is we don't know how long it will be. It is an injury that has not really been seen in rugby before.

"You can't accelerate its healing. It is an organ that will heal in its own time - 12, 13, 14 weeks, who knows?

"As we go at the moment, I am training and being tested and, if I pass all the tests, I train the next day."

In Paterson's absence, Edinburgh have slipped out of the top four for the first time this season.

"As a member of the squad, I feel as much frustration and hurt," he said.

"I could see how hard the guys are working during the week, but we are not getting the rewards at the moment and we're not playing well and we are not looking like the team we should be.

"If ever we need an extra motivation, it is to put right our last three performances. The aggression and passion has to be there, which always is, but the execution and the simple mistakes that we have committed over the last two or three weeks have killed us.

"Our attack is performing reasonably well - we are certainly scoring tries - but, as everyone is saying, our defence is letting us down and it is probably decision-making more than anything else that is putting us under excess pressure.

"Everyone will work as hard as always to put it right against a good Leinster side in two weeks' time who will probably have to win to secure a home tie, so it will be a big ask, but we will go for it."

Paterson thought that Edinburgh could take positives from their bright start to the Magners League and a European campaign in which they won all three home ties.

"But also the emergence of guys like Roddy Grant, for example, coming in and playing so well and younger players coming through the ranks," he added.

"But, unfortunately, it being the end of the season, the last home game is what people will go away over the summer and remember, so that was a big disappointment for us."

Edinburgh coach Rob Moffat was unable to explain the slump in form.

"The last three games, we have not been ourselves," he said. "We will all have a long hard look at ourselves. I certainly will.

"We have just gone off the ball when we really need to be on the boil."

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