Coventry, who went into administration last week, started well when Hodge went over after 17 minutes and Davey made it 7-0.

The visitors could, and really should, have made much more of their opening but they didn't and when fly-half Neil Stenhouse landed a penalty on the half-hour Moseley had weathered the storm. In added time hooker Ross McMillan was driven over from a line-out and Sten-house added the extras.

Mason then scampered over from 30 yards and suddenly Moseley were 17-7 up at the break.

On 50 minutes No.8 Laurie McGlone went over for 17-12 but Moseley came back with a try from wing Nathan Bressington, which was enough to seal the game.

Moseley had been forced to reshuffle with Dan Norton away with England Under-20s and Jack Forster, Jack Adams, Charlie Sharples and Ali James recalled by Gloucester for their clash with Leicester, which made the victory even more pleasing for coach Ian Smith.

He said: "It was a typical derby. Both sides struggled to find any shape or continuity; it was just a bit of a battle which we won.

"We had far too many errors in the first 20 minutes, which they should have got more from. We defended when we had to and we scored some nice tries. We did not play as we aspire to but sometimes that is what happens.

"It was not a good rugby performance but it showed some character. It was good for part of our squad to play as well. We brought people in and we won in what was a difficult game."

MOSELEY: Binns; Bressington, Hayes, Trueman, Trinder; Stenhouse, Taylor; N Williams (Buxton, 66), McMillan (Caves, 55), Sigley, Arnold, Stott, Mason, Atkinson (Bignell, 58), Rodwell. Replacements: Evans, D Williams, Lewis, Macdonald

COVENTRY: Toft; Johnson, Cobden, Kiri-some, Parry (Slater, 42); Davey, Jones; Maddocks (Rimmer 54), Whitehead, Brits, O Hodge, Nimmo, D Hodge, Clayton, McGlone. Replacements: Friswell, Dugard, Whitehall, Walls, McLean.

Referee: Ashley Rowden (RFU).

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