BOROUGHMUIR stalwart Ben Fisher is set to return to the champions' line-up against Heriot's at Meggetland tomorrow after suffering from a groin injury and he carries a warning to beware the threat in opposition ranks.
Representative honours gained with the Scottish clubs' international team have alerted Fisher to the talents of a colleague on that occasion who has subsequently moved from Dundee High to Heriot's at centre this season.
Fisher says: "One of the ou
tstanding match-ups tomorrow is going to be when Graham Thomson of Heriot's goes head-to-head against Malcolm Clapperton.
"Graham is a player that Boroughmuir were trying to get hold of when we heard he was to study in Edinburgh.
"Both are agile players who make common-sense decisions based on a decent amount of experience.
"Malky is playing as well as ever for us while Graham has slotted pretty seamlessly into the gap left when Jim Thompson left to join Edinburgh.
"Another we have to watch out for is Chris Fusaro, who is an up-and-coming flanker so there will be no room to rest on any laurels."
While Fisher is listed in a 22-man squad, hopes are high that he has finally shaken off a groin problem that has restricted him to intermittent appearances this term.
However, that makes him well-placed to assess the strength of the current 'Muir line-up both from the inside and the outside.
He says: "Our coach Eamon John has pointed out how few sides manage to defend the Premiership title and that is an incentive for a side among whom the likes of Greg Cottrell, Ewan Matheson and Ed Mills are showing the benefits of a more settled run."
Matheson is an ever-present while Cottrell and Mills have figured in five of 'Muir's six outings so far this campaign during which they have worked their way to second in the table.
Fisher adds: "I'd be lying if I said that our meeting with Ayr on Saturday week isn't in the back of my mind. That said Heriot's are a team who can never be taken lightly because of how they play – in a similar style to ourselves.
"Also, we are only just starting to find our rhythm.
"The first month of the season when pitches are firm is when we look to gain bonus points for scoring four tries in a match.
"That only happened twice in September, so there is plenty to work on quite apart from teams raising their game against us because we are the champions.
"Add to that the fact that opponents inevitably find a bit extra in Edinburgh derbies and we have nothing to be complacent about in trying to get the win that will enable us to keep putting pressure on Ayr ahead of a visit to them."
In fact, if Ayr were to slip up at Selkirk then Boroughmuir, who also recall clubs' cap Stephen Ruddick after injury, could return to pole position.
However, Heriot's coach Bob McKillop feels his side can only benefit from having to raise their standards even higher after beating a title-challenging Selkirk side last weekend.
"Whatever the league position currently says we'll be playing the best team in the country at Meggetland and every player gets a boost from facing the defending champions," says McKillop, who will be without his talented centre Richard Mill, but who, however, is pleased with the recent contributions of several newcomers to the squad.
"Centre Scott Anderton joined from Orkney last season but was plagued by injury and had to wait until last weekend to bring his combative approach to our midfield alongside winger Stuart Bell, who got his first two tries for us after enlisting from Madras.
"Up front Ian Nimmo is emerging as a real personality with bags of experience.
"I love personalities in the ranks and Ian has the ability to lift others around him as he hopefully showed representing Edinburgh back-up this week."
Boroughmuir (from): Costigan, Ross, Lait, Scott, Waddell, Pringle, Brown, Martyn, Matheson, Cusiter, Cannon, Bury, O'Donnell, Clapperton, Mills, Ruddick, Cottrell, McGee, Fisher, Sievwright, Eseonu.
Heriot's (from): Goudie, Short, Thomson, Anderton, Bell, Rutherford, G Wilson, Dymock, Burnett, Brown, Eccles, Nimmo, McVie, Parker, Dewar, Gillies, Blacklock, Syme, Reid, S Wilson, Fusaro.
The full article contains 723 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
