Jed-Forest safe from threat of relegation from rugby’s Arnold Clark National League Division 1 with one game to spare

Only five points separated head coach Michael Harshaw’s second-from-bottom Jedburgh side and the Aberdonians at kick-off but a bonus-point win for the former and a 15th loss of this season for the latter has doubled that gap, taking the Borderers out of reach of their former relegation rivals with only one game left to go for both.

Jed, still ninth in the table, are now level on 28 points from 17 fixtures with eighth-placed Biggar, beaten 38-24 at home by league leaders Edinburgh Academical on Saturday, and a return to National 2 is confirmed for Gordonians, on 18 from 17, following their promotion last year. Head coach Ewen Robbie’s Maroons are seventh, on 33 from 17.

Jed’s try-scorers were left-winger Robbie Shirra-Gibb at the double, lock Clark Skeldon, right-winger Matthew Beaton, outside-centre Gregor Young, No 8 and captain Garry Young and fly-half Aaron Weatherhead, with openside flanker Finn Scott adding four conversions and a penalty to take his points total for the club to 500 in 86 games.

No 8 Robbie Irvine, openside flanker Sam Smith and full-back Jack Niven touched down tries for Gala, with left-winger Cameron Brydon kicking a conversion and penalty.

Jed skipper Young is relieved they won’t have to wait until the last fixture card of the season on Saturday, March 21, to confirm their National 1 survival, telling Borders Rugby TV: “I’m massively delighted.

“Really I couldn’t be prouder of the guys.

“We’d had a really good week in training building up to this and the feeling was really good right through the team, so to come out and put a performance in when we needed it most, I couldn’t be prouder.

“I think we’re now getting a bit of a name as a never-say-die team and I knew the guys were out wanting to fight for this.

“We played the game on our terms and played a bit more free-flowing rugby. We just got into our stride and tried not to take the foot off the gas.

“We can compete at the top of this league – it’s just about consistently doing it week in, week out and building that belief.”

Gala blindside flanker Daniel Kerr was pleased to see his side notch up their sixth win of this term, saying: “Our second-half performance just shows how much we’ve grown as a team. Earlier in the season, we might have struggled or thrown the game away potentially, but that performance out there shows we’re here to stay.

“Next season, we’ll look to kick on and look further up the table.”

Jed and Gala are both on the road come March 21, at Gordonians and third-placed Glasgow Academicals respectively, both 3pm kick-offs.