HEAD coach Bryan Redpath has called on returning senior players to pick up the baton where the others left off in the Guinness Premiership fixture against Harelquins on Saturday.

A shadow Gloucester side came back from 20-0 down to beat Quins 31-29 in the LV= Cup on Sunday, and now Redpath wants a response from his senior men.

Nick Wood, Dave Attwood, Paul Doran-Jones, Akapusi Qera, Gareth Delve, Greg Somerville, Olly Morgan, Nicky Robinson and Eliota Fuimaono-Sapolu were all missing from the starting line-up as Redpath blooded some new players – Tim Taylor the pick of them with a stand-out performance at fly-half.

Redpath said: "It was hugely important that players stood up and put pressure on me to select and pressure on the group itself.

"Now the boys to come back into that starting team next weekend have to grow from that. They have to back up this performance."

Redpath revealed after the game that negotiations had already begun to keep Taylor at Kingsholm for longer than his current loan deal from Nottingham, but he also said several of the other out of contract players stood up and were counted.

Of those who started against Quins, five are only contracted until the summer – Taylor plus Rupert Harden, Adam Eustace, Lesley Vainikolo and Semi Tadulala – and only limited spots remain in the squad.

Redpath also hinted that some of the players on show on Sunday had already been informed that their futures lay away from Kingsholm.

He said: "You play every game for your next job and your next contract and I expect everyone to do so.

"If players are leaving I still expect them to give their all. They are not there for anything else. They will get another good job if they are leaving.

"They'll get rewarded wherever they go because of how they leave this club.

"If I'm honest with them and they know from the start I can put that pressure back on them.

"I say go on then, go and prove we are losing a good rugby player and that's when decisions are hard."

Meanwhile, Redpath was also delighted with how his senior men, including James Simpson-Daniel, stepped up after coming into the side as a late replacement for Charlie Sharples.

"Sinbad is very positive when he gets the ball, he is strong and makes ground," Redpath said. "I thought Voycey played better at 15 than he has done. He had enough confidence to say I'm going to play, I'm not going to kick it back.

"Apo Satala came on and looked strong. He's different from (Peter) Buxton and he created problems. (Olivier) Azam came on and threw himself around, he never missed a line-out when he was on.

"The experience and balance is always needed in a game and the players have to find it."