Win on road v Glasgow Accies keeps Peebles out of bottom three in rugby’s Arnold Clark National League Division 1

​That 25-24 victory at New Anniesland leaves head coach Graeme Paterson’s Pees as they were in seventh place, but they’re now on 34 points from 16 fixtures, a point clear of third-from-bottom Boroughmuir, their next opponents this coming Saturday on the road, with kick-off at 2pm.

Boroughmuir have swapped places with Highland within the three-deep drop-zone by beating Jed-Forest 41-26 at Edinburgh’s Myreside Stadium at the weekend at the same time as the Inverness outfit, now second from bottom, were being given a 79-7 thumping at Stirling County.

Those results leave ’Muir on 33 points and Highland on 30, with bottom-of-the-table and already-relegated Dundee on 11, all from 16 fixtures.

Gala and Jed are also static in the table, in fourth place and fifth respectively, both on 42 points from 17 fixtures after defeats on Saturday, the former’s having been by 27-14 at home to league-leaders Glasgow Hutchesons’ Aloysians.

Both have got this weekend off and return to action for their last national league fixtures of the season on Saturday, March 1, Gala hosting Glasgow Accies and Jed away to Stirling.

Touching down for Peebles on Saturday were outside-centre James Dow, No 8 Ewan Hunter and replacement Rio Bhatia, with left-winger Frey Maciver kicking two conversions and two penalties.

Lock Richie Tod scored a try for head coach Ewen Robbie’s hosts versus GHA at Netherdale, accompanied by a conversion from fly-half Scott Peffers and a penalty try.

Touching down with tries for Jed in the capital were blindside flanker Darren Gillespie at the double, loosehead prop Grant Paxton and replacement Dougie McNeill, with openside flanker Finn Scott adding three conversions.

Peebles captain Jack Harrison was delighted to secure the four points required to prevent his side being overtaken by Boroughmuir and dropping back into the bottom three ahead of a two-game run-in against the sides immediately beneath them in the standings, telling Borders Rugby TV afterwards: “We did a bit of homework on Glasgow Accies before and we knew they were going to be getting into space and playing very attacking rugby, so we tried to play a high press in defence and make them make mistakes and go off that.

“We had to grind it out in the last ten minutes and managed to get a penalty and a try right at the end just by keeping the ball.

“We’re massively pleased with that win.”

Gala scrum-half Lachlan Johnston and Jed head coach Stuart Johnson were gracious in defeat, both admitting they’d been outplayed by their opponents.

The former said: “It was disappointing.

“The first half killed us. We gifted them too many easy tries and then couldn’t really chase the game.

“Credit where credit’s due, GHA defend well and they don’t miss many tackles.”

The latter added: “It was a long afternoon up at Myreside, but credit to Boroughmuir, they were the better side. They wanted it more, they were deperate and they needed the points.”