Peebles climbed another rung up the ladder towards the the top of the BT National League Division One as they gained a clear-cut victory over Dundee HFSP.

The heartening 26-9 success saw the men in red and white move one place into fifth spot in the table and further boost confidence for the challenges that lie ahead.

A mouth-watering clash is looming at the Gytes with Selkirk who have won seven out of seven under the stewardship of former Peebles coach Peter Wright.

But before that Peebles face testing assignments away to Jed-Forest and on home turf against Watsonians.

Dundee HFSP came to town on Saturday in third place in the table but left empty-handed thanks to a cohesive team display from the home side.

“We are delighted with the result and it probably ranks as our best of the season so far,” said senior director of rugby Graeme Paterson.

“Dundee came here with a good reputation and last year we lost heavily to them twice, so it’s fair play to our guys - they really stepped up to the plate. This certainly shows that the guys are putting the work in and the coaches are getting the best out of the players.

“We are certainly happy with the way things have gone and it’s all about consistency. If we can replicate this level of performance in the weeks ahead then we could not ask for more. It was all about a great all-round club performance on Saturday but we did not concede a try and the defence was outstanding.

“We have a stronger, deeper squad and it’s definitely the best we’ve had for two or three years. We might not have many stars but we have a broader base of good quality players.” “We are definitely looking at putting ourselves right into the top bracket now and the defeat of GHA last weekend as certainly opened up the second spot.” Ousting Selkirk from the top is a much tougher challenge altogether with the Philiphaugh side carrying all before them so far this season.

Things could not have gone much better for Wright after his shock departure from the Gytes in March.

“It’s not going to be easy to catch Selkirk but they’ll be thinking everybody’s gunning for them now,” said Paterson. “I certainly don’t think Peter will be putting his feet up and thinking it’s job done.

“We must concentrate on our next two games before thinking about Selkirk. Of course, there is an added subtext when we play them with Peter coming back to Peebles and it would be great to think we could be going into that match with another two wins under our belt.” Peebles will make the journey to Jedburgh today, Saturday, knowing that they must maintain their standards if they are to come away with a win from Riverside Park (kick off 3pm).

“Borders derby matches are always difficult and Jed-Forest managed a win against Marr last week which was something we couldn’t do,” said Paterson. “We’re going there confident but not over-confident.

Doubts surround Ruaridh Clinch after he suffered a leg injury in a physical game last weekend but Conor Blyth is expected to be available for selection again.