​Gala up to third place in rugby’s Border League table after beating Selkirk

​That result at Netherdale in Galashiels leaves the hosts level on eight points with the fourth-placed Souters and fifth-placed Kelso but with a better points-scored tally than their top-flight rivals and they’ve got a game in hand on the latter and two on the former, having only played three.

Both sides were awarded penalty tries by referee Darren Fisher in their first meeting for over five years, and Ben Gill, Gregor Collins, captain Angus Dun and Tim McKavanagh touched down for Gala, with Scott Peffers adding a conversion and penalty and Kieran Westlake replying with an unconverted try for their visitors.

Only one of Gala’s remaining three games has been scheduled thus far and that’s a visit from premiership play-off semi-finalists Kelso on Saturday, April 6, with kick-off at 3pm.

Dates have yet to be fixed for a visit from Border League and premiership table-toppers Hawick and trip to Jed-Forest, now about to join then in Scottish National League Division 1 following their relegation at the end of the regular top-flight season.

Selkirk have only got one game to go, a visit from Peebles on a date to be arranged.

Friday’s victory marked openside flanker Liam Scott’s 100th appearance for Gala and he told Borders Rugby TV afterwards: “There was no pressure for us. We were the underdogs, being in the league below.

“The national league’s done and now we’re onto the Border League, so we thought we’d just go out and enjoy it, and I think we did that.

“We looked pretty cohesive. It was one of our best performances of the season, to be honest.

“We wanted to move them about a bit and make it an open game and that suited us.

“We were pretty focused and we were quite confident as well. We knew that if we just stuck to our processes and our systems, we’d come good.

“To get that result, I’m absolutely delighted.”

Selkirk No 8 and try-scorer Westlake added: “We’re a very positive team and we’ve got some real dangerous runners in our backs and, as forwards, it’s our job to give opportunities to those backs.

“I thought there were some great lines of running and we were making some good line-breaks, but unfortunately the main thing is keeping hold of the ball and we didn’t do that quite well enough.

“Fair play to Gala, they were an absolute menace at the breakdown and just killed any momentum we were getting.

“We didn’t play to our full potential, but we didn’t lose that game – Gala rightfully won that game.

“If you don’t take your opportunities, a great team like Gala will take advantage, and I thought they were absolutely phenomenal.

“It’s annoying. We’ve had that for the last two or three games, having a lot of the ball and just not being able to convert our chances.

“Unfortunately, we’re making all the hard yards and then giving it up in the 22, probably a little bit too easily.

“Full credit to the boys, I thought everyone put in a massive shift. That can only make us stronger as a squad going into next year.”