Coach Steve Meehan cut a forlorn figure after seeing Bath go down to a last-minute converted try by Chris Ashton at Northampton.
Bath chief felt his side deserved better
Bath coach Steve Meehan cut a forlorn figure after seeing his side go down to a last-minute converted try by Chris Ashton at Northampton.
As a result Bath remain mired at the wrong end of the Guinness Premiership table only three points above basement club Leeds after their winless run was stretched to seven matches.
With a bad day compounded by the fact that England wing Matt Banahan was red-carded in the 66th minute, Meehan struggled to contain his disappointment after the latest setback.
"We've copped it from all corners this week and we deserved to win," he stated. "It is difficult to take because I thought we played the better rugby.
"I am very proud of the performance. We bounced back from the previous week, had a big week in training and there was a hell of a lot of passion out there.
"I think the supporters should be proud of the players. It's unfortunate to battle like that and come away with only one point when you deserve four."
Meehan revealed Banahan felt aggrieved at his dismissal, which was awarded following some aggressive rucking on Stephen Myler.
"I don't think it's a red card at all, and we will see what happens to him from a judicial point of view," continued the Australian.
"The assistant referee told David Rose (the referee) it was a red-card offence. I do know that the assistant referee said he made contact with his head.
"Matt is pretty down in the dumps about it."
However, Meehan is confident Bath will get out of their current plight, adding: "We'll be okay if we play like that every week, with courage, purpose, and desire.
Mallinder joy
By contrast, Northampton director of rugby Jim Mallinder was predictably overjoyed to see his side escape with the win after Ashton's late heroics.
"It was one of those games where we always expected it to be tight," Mallinder said.
"Bath have good players and they shouldn't be down in 11th place. They can play rugby and can be dangerous.
"It was little bit messy out there and I'm happy to come away and sneak it at the end."
Mallinder had special words of praise for Ashton, adding: "He is on fire at the moment. He is playing well at this moment in time and we always knew he had potential."
