MUSSELBURGH RFC head coach Grant Talac has set his sights on a top four finish this season, after a successful first campaign in Scotland's second tier.

The Stoneyhill men recorded wins over eventual champions Watsonians, Stewart's Melville and Edinburgh Academical among their eight victories in BT National League Division 1 last term.

In their first season in the second tier following promotion, Burgh finished in eighth place, but endured a difficult run of results in the second half of the season.

They stopped a run of seven games without a win with a bonus point win over Howe of Fife in their final home game.

Despite that tough run, head coach Talac told Courier Sport he feels a top four finish is the goal for the club this season.

He said: "We hope to find more consistency this term and hopefully challenge for a top four spot.

"I'm looking forward to training starting again on July 9, when our coaching team shall start putting the lads through their paces "

With preparations well under way, the Burgh head coach admitted it is difficult to attract players to the club, but hopes to have new faces on board by the time they convene at Stoneyhill.

He added: "Recruitment has been as challenging as ever given we're competing against teams that are openly paying their players.

"We've managed to get a few new recruits and we've got another couple of loose ends to tie up, so all being well, we'll be ready to go."

One man who won't be returning to the club this season is forward Will Lander, who has returned home to New Zealand after two seasons with the club.

While Talac admits he will be a loss in the engine room of the pack, he was keen to stress there are home-grown youngsters ready to put their hands up for selection.

He added: We've only really lost Will, but we do have youngsters like James Peel and Michael Fleming waiting in the wings to compete for his position and ready, hopefully, to grasp the opportunity."

The head coach also confirmed that after almost a month of pre-season training, the club will face local rivals Preston Lodge in their first match of the new campaign.

"We've got a squad friendly vs PL [on August 6] to contest the Jardine Cup, followed by a weekend tour to Liverpool, before playing Watsonians."

Their competitive season starts with a home tie against Lasswade on August 27, before the league season kicks off against Selkirk, relegated from the BT Premiership, on September 3.