​Delighted Bath head coach Steve Meehan has backed his resurgent side to fight their way into the Guinness Premiership play-off picture – provided they maintain their sparkling form.

Racking up their sixth straight league win with a three-try 17-13 victory over Newcastle Falcons at Kingston Park, Bath pushed themselves closer to the top-four playoff argument.

Matt Banahan, Nick Abendanon and former Falcon David Wilson got the vital scores for the visitors, with Olly Barkley posting one conversion.

With six league games left, Meehan’s men now sit just five points shy of fourth-placed Wasps, meaning another bonus-point win could take them into the play-off places.

Admitting he will sit down with his squad and reassess their season goals in light of recent results, Bath boss Meehan hailed his side’s effort, especially in mustering three tries.

Meehan said: “We’re delighted to move a bit further up the ladder and put some more pressure on the teams above us, we achieved the objective today and we’re very happy.

“I thought the opening try in the second half was a terrific team try, to hold on to the ball for that long, to win so much ground and to use the complete width of the field, it was great rugby.

“Now we’ve completed this part of the season in decent style, now we’ll sit down and work out our goals for what’s to come.

“We’ll see where we are when we come back into it in two weeks’ time, but if we continue in the same kind of form I think we have a decent chance of pushing into the playoff picture.”

Hailing the growing influence of England star Abendanon, Meehan backed him to continue his steady improvement and go from strength to strength as the business end of the season fast approaches.

He continued: “He’s been in terrific form since signing his contract extension, I don’t know if there’s any coincidence in that, but that’s the way it is.

“He’s getting back to being the player and in fact improving on what we’ve seen from him in the past.

“He’s defensively strong, his running with the ball in hand is terrific and he’s vastly improved his kicking game, so he’s going great guns and maturing all the time.”

Relishing Wilson’s try against his boyhood club, Meehan said the England tighthead prop had suffered more than most when Bath slumped to four-try Falcons defeat at The Rec earlier this term.

Impressed with the triple front-row substitution that saw Wilson, David Flatman and Lee Mears join the fray for the second half, Meehan said: “I thought that the reserve front row came on and did a marvellous job, not just at the scrum but around the park too, and in defence.

“All three of those guys did exactly what we asked of them and that was important.

“Well Davey was very disappointed to lose to Newcastle at home earlier in the season, as we all were.

“So for him to get over the line and get the winning try, he was delighted of course and we’re all delighted for him.”

Praising his men for their attacking ambition, Meehan said he will never stop them from expressing themselves, revealing the fun factor is central to their progress.

He said: “It’s a lot simpler for me to ask the players to attack at speed from the stands than it is for them to do it out there on a sticky surface like that.

“It looked a picture when we got here but it was pretty soft underfoot, but thankfully we had enough in us to get the right amount out of it.

“We get turned over from time to time too, but there’s no point coming out and not playing, and not enjoying yourselves.

“Enjoying ourselves is one of the major factors to how we operate, everybody else has their own cultures, beliefs and styles – one of ours is to get out there and just enjoy playing.”