Revenge in the air as Selkirk play host to champions

REVENGE will be on the minds of Ayr this afternoon when they return to Selkirk bidding to ensure their championship bid this term does not suffer the same jolt as last year’s did.

They duly went on to win the title last season in any case, but this time the picture is a bit different. Currie are back in the ascendancy leading the Scottish Hydro Premier One by five points from Ayr, and have a better points difference, but the men from the Honest Toun have a game in hand. They need to keep the pressure on by winning today, but Selkirk have also been picking up.

The Souters were on a good run until coming unstuck at West of Scotland last weekend, but even that was something of a blip in the sense that they lost three players to yellow cards with the game finely poised in the second half.

Club president Donald Macleod said: “It was frustration really last week and we were all pretty disappointed because we had been playing well.

“But we scored four tries and so we know it’s not as if we’ve suddenly lost form. West have a good, big pack and we can struggle sometimes with that.”

That kind of talk will be manna from heaven for today’s visitors, however, as the Damien Kelly-inspired eight is one of the most powerful in the league. But Selkirk always aim to move teams about with a bright, attacking style of rugby, and often it pays off provided they win a decent supply of ball.

The return to fitness and form of Neil Darling and Fraser Harkness have been crucial to Selkirk’s pick-up, and their signing from Wanganui, lock John Smyth, is also making his presence felt and he and Rory Aglen will be at the heart of a crucial battle for possession with Kelly and Scott Sutherland today.

“We’re expecting a big crowd for the visit of Ayr,” added Macleod. “We’ve always had a good strong link with Ayr, through the farming side of things, and we have over 120 coming for the ‘Yarrow Farmers Lunch’ which adds to the atmosphere.

“This is our first home game since December 12th, a day when we had a good win against Dundee HSFP, so we’re quite hopeful of a big crowd back to see us try and stop Ayr in their tracks again. We like the idea, I think, that we can play a part in the outcome of this championship even if we’re not in the running for it. But it will be very tough. They beat us convincingly at Millbrae last season and again earlier this season, while we’re not quite away from that relegation battle yet if Watsonians keep up their improved form. But we’re not thinking negatively; there’s a great positive feel around the club and a lot of excitement ahead of a big game like this. The players are very determined to beat Ayr again at Philiphaugh."

Elsewhere, Currie are looking to maintain their domination at the top with victory away to West today, Watsonians are at Melrose bidding to prove last week’s win was not a flash in the pan, Dundee HSFP host Boroughmuir, Stewart’s Melville welcome Heriot’s to Inverleith and Edinburgh Accies are away to Glasgow Hawks.