Survive having to abandon desperate defenders here? (4,5)
I believe the answer is:
last ditch
'desperate defenders here?' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'survive having to abandon' is the wordplay.
'survive' becomes 'last' (synonyms).
'having' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'to abandon' becomes 'ditch' (ditching is a kind of abandoning).
'last'+'ditch'='LAST-DITCH'
(Other definitions for last ditch that I've seen before include "Final resort" , "final defensive position" , "ultimately desperate" , "in which to build a stand" , "final obstacle for jockey?" .)