Musselburgh boss calls on team not to let rivals off the hook

The Stoneyhill team picked up their third home win in a row on Saturday when they defeated Aberdeen Grammar.

Momentum seemed to be firmly in Musselburgh’s favour when they raced into an early 14-0 lead.

However, the long-travelled visitors fought back and got their noses in front before Musselburgh eventually went on to take the victory.

Paterson, head coach at Musselburgh, said: “We had a bit of a good start, indifferent middle bit and very good end.

“It was good to get back on the winning trail.

“I think Aberdeen Grammar are in the unfortunate position where they are desperate to get their first win.

“They fought really hard for everything and they came back and took the lead.

“It was a tough game, no doubt about it.

“That is maybe one of the mental things for us to recognise.

“We go in front but don’t let teams off; they are all good enough to come back.

“In terms of mentally, we dropped off a bit and that meant physically we dropped off.”

Musselburgh made it three home wins out of three with victory over Aberdeen Grammar on Saturday

One man who enjoyed an eventful afternoon was Gregor Tait.

The winger not only scored four tries in the 40-24 win but also received a yellow card and a spell on the sidelines.

Paterson described his player as “a finisher” and praised his ability to be in the right place to finish off a team move.

Both Paterson and Tait will be hoping for more of the same this weekend when they travel to play Jed-Forest.

Musselburgh’s 100 per cent record at home has been the opposite of their results on the road, where they have lost to Glasgow Hawks and Selkirk.

The head coach felt his team had shown they were one “to be reckoned with” so far this campaign and was keen to get a first win on their travels.

Musselburgh RFC coach Graeme Paterson

He told Courier Sport: “There is a genuine advantage at home – you see that through the whole of the results in the competition.

“It is mainly home teams who are winning.

“It shows how important playing at home is and making sure you do win at home.

“We are confident we can take on anybody at home and win.

“That is a good place to be and a good starter for five.

“Jed-Forest is somewhere we have been before and won.

“It is certainly not beyond us, that is for sure, but we have got to put in a performance.”