MUSSELBURGH RFC head coach Grant Talac hopes to end Edinburgh Accies’ unbeaten run in National League Division 1 when they visit Stoneyhill on January 6.

The Capital side have won all 11 games in the second tier this season, picking up 10 bonus point along the way for a five point cushion over Jed-Forest at the top of the table.

But Talac, whose Burgh side are in ninth with four wins, is confident that his men can become the first to defeat Accies, who are coached by former Haddington back-row Derek O’Riordan.

The Burgh boss told Courier Sport: “Accies have been the team to beat in the league so far.

“Hopefully January 6 is the day their winning streak comes to an end.”

Following an historic first-ever win at Gala earlier this month, Burgh have had to sit out on consecutive weekends, with frozen pitches at Selkirk and Kelso ending their year prematurely.

And Talac, an East Lothian Council transport planning officer, added: “It has been frustrating over the last couple of weeks given the weather but we have managed to keep training so had managed to prepare for these matches reasonably well.

“With Saturday’s match postponed we had planned to train but even the areas of Stoneyhill with good grass coverage were still solid.”

Instead, he said the squad enjoyed their Christmas jumper day and a festive lunch with other club members.

Three of Burgh’s next five opponents occupy spots in the top half of the table and Talac is aware that the January 13 meeting with relegation-zoned Stewart’s Melville could go a long way to determining Burgh’s fate come the season’s end.

He added: “Our focus now turns to trying to fit in as much training as possible over the next couple of weeks before facing Accies and Stew Mel.

“The Stew Mel game stands out as a particularly big one. We have taken a bit of confidence from the Gala win and look forward to playing these fixtures.”

Before then, Burgh and Haddington will meet in a training match next Saturday (December 30), with both Talac and Reds counterpart Rhodri Thomas keen to keep their squads match-sharp during the festive break.