Cornish Pirates: Gavin Cattle 'proud' after side comes back to beat Jersey Reds 21-17

Hooker Tom Channon's two tries for Cornish pirates took his tally to 12 for the season

Cornish Pirates joint head-coach Gavin Cattle has hailed his side as they came from two tries down to beat Jersey Reds 21-17 in the Championship.

The victory sees the pirates go second in the Championship with two games in hand on leaders Doncaster Knights.

The Knights, who beat pre-season favourites Ealing on Saturday, host the Pirates on 12 March in a key game.

"I'm proud to be part of a team that just keeps going, keeps trucking, keeps grinding and finding a way," he said.

Macauley Cook and Dan Barnes went over for Jersey inside the opening eight minutes after some Pirates mistakes before Tom Channon pulled a try back midway through the first half.

The hosts had Matt Bolwell sin-binned seven minutes from half time, but Cattle's side held out with a Scott van Breda penalty Jersey's only reward with an extra man as they led 17-7 at the break.

But a second try for Channon - his 12th of the season - 10 minutes after the restart and a Tom Kessell score 13 minutes from the end sealed a memorable victory which puts the possibility of a title win back in Pirates' hands.

"I'm immensely proud of the effort, we can manage the game a bit better, and that's not always down to the game managers, everyone looks at the nine and 10, what I mean by that is as a team, controlling the ball," Cattle added to BBC Radio Cornwall.

"At half-time they were looking a bit dazed, but it's how you apply yourselves in that pressure, and they did and they came out fighting."

It is Pirates' first sustained title challenge since they made successive Championship play-off finals in 2011 and 2012 under Chris Stirling with Cattle playing at scrum-half.

"It's a different layout to the Championship, you've got to win every week, it's first past the post," Cattle said when asked to compare the sides from then and now.

"This is the best chance and most probably the most enjoyable in terms of our coaching group and playing group.

"Every year's been enjoyable in its own way, but these boys have really taken to it, and boys we've brought in on loan have really bought into it and it's just been a positive season up to this point, but there's still a long way to go."