Richard Hill hailed 'Bristol's finest moment in the last five years' as his side demolished the challenge of Stade Francais with a 17-0 triumph at the Memorial Ground.
Asked where the result ranked in the history of the club Hill said: ''It has to be up there with our best days. This is Bristol's finest moment in the last five years.
''Huge credit must to the two other coaches. John Brain has done a great job at the set piece, which was the base of our victory, and Paul Hull has also done a great job devising our press defence which went well.
''All the boys are heroes today but praise must go to the front row who took on their starting front row and then dealt with the fresh legs they brought on too.
''A special mention must go to Dan Ward-Smith who has been through a rough patch lately and I thought he looked back to his best today and Shaun Perry who captained the side for the first time and has now got a 100 per cent record with one win from one game.
''They probably did underestimate us. They don't know what it's like in Bristol on a wet day. I was a bit concerned at half-time but we did well with the wind behind us.
''It keeps the group alive, and we now have a genuine chance to go on and progress out of the group.''
Meanwhile Stade Francis Paris coach Fabien Galthie believes Cardiff Blues are in poll position in Pool 3 following his side's dismal defeat at Bristol.
Minus eight front-line internationals, the French champions slipped to their fourth successive Heineken Cup defeat in England and failed to score for the first time in 62 matches in the tournament.
The Blues, who notched a maximum five points against Bristol in the first round and picked up two from their 13-13 draw at Harlequins in round two, now lead the Pool by two points from Stade.
That makes their back-to-back games in the French and Welsh capitals next month critical in the race to reach the quarter-finals.
"I think he Blues have a great chance now because they picked up five points in their first match and then two away in their second. It is going to be difficult for the Harlequins now, having dropped points at home, but it is also going to be hard for us," admitted Galthie.
"The Blues impressed me in their opening two games and they are going to present us with a big challenge in the next two rounds. The most important thing for us now is to keep the spirit of the side high and be positive.
"It is very difficult to play when you are under the kind of pressure that Bristol put on us. We need good weather and a good pitch to play at our best and we aren't at our best at the moment."
Injuries to Italian back row stars Sergio Parisse and Mauro Bergamasco made it an even more miserable afternoon for Galthie. Parisse could be ruled out for six weeks with hiss ankle problem.
However, there is some good news for Stade with Juan-Martin Hernandez due to return in this weekend's French championship match.
