ROB Baxter says Exeter Chiefs treated Saturday's clash at Bedford as though it was a play-off game at the end of the season.

The head coach wanted his players to get a feel for what it will be like at the end of the campaign when the pressure mounts.

The fact that his side came through to win 20-11 at a ground where they have struggled in the past pleased Baxter, who allowed his players to celebrate in the changing room after the game.

"We said all week that Bedford is a difficult place to go and win," said Baxter.

"I'll be honest, we built this game up as a big game in the squad for various reasons.

"We wanted it to be a pressure game for us so that we got used to playing in difficult environments and in difficult situations because that's what's going to happen at the end of the season.

"We've come through a real battle — and it was a tough old battle out there. It wasn't a perfect game of rugby by any means, both sides made mistakes, but that will happen in a big pressure game at the end of the season.

"There were times when Bedford had some real momentum, there were times we held on, times we turned them back and times when we had the upper hand, which was for most of the first half.

"It had pretty much everything and in the last five minutes it was us who threw away try-scoring opportunities rather than Bedford.

"The guys enjoyed themselves afterwards, they enjoyed each others' company and they relished going to Bedford and getting a result."

Baxter felt his side should have been more than 14-3 up at the break as Bedford offered very little in the opening period.

"I'm pleased with how we played in the first half but Bedford did sit back. I think they played out the first half and played tactically for not a lot to happen," he said.

"If we'd realised that we would have played more than we did and for our territorial dominance we should have scored more points, that's the truth of the matter.

"We didn't make the most of the first half, we could have created a situation where the game was gone from Bedford."