BT Premiership enters semi-final stage

The semi-finals of the BT Premiership will take place this Saturday with the top four from the league battling it out for a place in the final. Table-toppers Ayr will compete with Melrose at Millbrae with Calum Forrester’s men looking to overturn last weekend’s result, which saw them exit the BT Cup in the semi-final stages at the hands of the Borders side. Ayr head coach, Calum Forrester, said: “Last week was hugely disappointing but this weekend cannot come quick enough for the players.””Training has been extremely positive and the focus for us will be putting in a performance for the full 80 minutes. This weekend is a great opportunity to bounce back and there is no bigger incentive for our players than the opportunity to host the BT Premiership Final at Millbrae.Melrose will be visiting Millbrae for the second week in a row and hoping to secure another place in a final after booking their place in the BT Cup final last weekend. Head coach, John Dalziel, said: “After the excitement of our BT Cup win, we now fix our attentions to the biggest match of the season with a league final spot at stake.””Both clubs know the importance of league titles and after finishing top after the regular season, Ayr will be desperate to make sure they are able to contest for the eventual final, as we are.We have had to get used to playing quality opposition away from home in knock out matches of late and the players need no extra motivation for this one. In the other semi-final, Currie will host Heriot’s at Malleny Park for an Edinburgh derby after an impressive run throughout the regular season. Currie head coach, Ben Cairns, said: “Play-off matches are always special games to be involved in and it’s great for the club to have the reward of a home semi-final for all their hard work throughout the year.””Malleny Park has hosted some memorable matches over the years and we hope that Saturday’s match adds to that list. We have had some very tight encounters over the past couple of seasons with Heriot’s and we expect this match to come down to the finest of margins once more. Reigning champions Heriot’s will visit Currie after securing their place in the BT Cup final last weekend away to Glasgow Hawks and will be determined to claim a spot in the league final. Head coach, Phil Smith, said: “The squad have knuckled down after last weekend and have been training well.”While our most recent games against Currie have seen us edge a few close wins, we are preparing for an even more determined opposition who will undoubtedly feel that they owe us one.”That said, my players are determined to defend their title for as long as possible. BT Premiership semi-finals (Saturday 2 April) Ayr v Melrose, Millbrae, kick-off 3pm Currie v Heriot’s, Malleny Park, kick-off 3pm