A FIREMAN and a policeman are the new coaches at Musselburgh RFC, taking over from Grant Talac after he stepped down at the end of last season.

Grant Fraser will coach the backs and look after the club’s attack, while Graeme Paterson is the new forwards and defence coach at the National League Division 1 side.

They arrive after two years at Edinburgh side Trinity Academical, and 49-year-old fireman Fraser is looking forward to the season ahead in the second tier.

He told Courier Sport: “We’re itching to get started. We really want to make the club a force in the area and in Edinburgh – it’s a bit of a forgotten stronghold.

“Scottish Rugby has a blueprint [the technical blueprint provides direction for all coach, player and match official development programmes at Scottish Rugby] but we want to make Musselburgh something different and really stand out.”

Fraser has challenged the squad to play a “high-intensity, high-skill” game, and insists only “minor tweaks” are needed.

He was also full of praise for former coach Talac, who has taken on a director of rugby role, adding: “Grant has done a great job.

“He deserves a medal for all that he’s done but we’ll still be working closely with him.”

Fraser is targeting a top-six finish in National 1 this season, which would earn Musselburgh a place in the revamped Premiership, due to be reshuffled to accommodate the formation of the new Super Six semi-professional league in a year’s time. “We met with the senior players and we’ve set that as our target,” he said.

Pre-season training started on Monday evening and the new backs coach is hoping to add “seven or eight” new faces to the playing squad, a team manager for the 1st XV and a 2nd XV coach.

He said: “We want it to be a club training night rather than the 1sts and the 2nds so we want a 2nds coach so we can all work as a group. We need every player that trains thinking they’ll be involved with the 1sts on a Saturday.”

Robin Veitch, club president, was “delighted” to have secured the services of Fraser and Paterson. He told Courier Sport: “The board were impressed by the enthusiasm, philosophy and potential of the coaches and their strategy for working with the players to bring a positive environment for both training and playing.

“They will bring their broad knowledge of rugby coaching to Musselburgh RFC, at what is an exciting time for the club.

“Graeme and Grant have already begun to work with the players during the off season and we wish them and the players well for the coming season.”