He sat out his side’s defeat at Stirling last weekend as a precaution after suffering a tightening of his hamstring at training on Thursday - an injury which forced him to miss a large part of last season.

The full-back admitted he wasn’t surprised by the Bridgehaugh club’s transformation after they narrowly avoided relegation last season.

But he revealed he believes Melrose - who were crowned Scottish champions for the third time in four years last season - have the players capable of retaining their title.

Speaking to the Border Telegraph pitchside after the full-time whistle on Saturday, Thomson said: “Stirling have a few new faces in their side and they won last week but we come into every game wanting to win it.

“We gave them pretty soft scores which we’ve tried to work on not giving teams. But Stirling probably deserved their win and we’ll have to reassess before we play Boroughmuir at home.

“I think any team could beat any team in the league on their day and it could go right down to the wire again like last season but we’ll just take one week at a time.” Melrose are already without key kicker Joe Helps for the first two months of the season after he suffered a wrist injury in a Border League game against Selkirk last month.

And, after being knocked down to fifth in the table after round two of the BT Premiership, the club will be keen to avoid further injury woes.

“It’s disappointing (to miss out) but looking at the game we had enough chances but we didn’t take them and then we gave them easy scores,” Thomson said. “We can’t gift teams in Prem One so many points and expect to win games.

“I pulled out on Thursday with a tight hamstring, mainly precautionary just to make sure my hamstring is okay for next week so it’s a case of missing one week as opposed to five or six.” But he added: “We’re still in a good place, we’ve got the players, we just need to perform well as a 15 and we’ll certainly be there or thereabouts at the end of the season.” While Melrose welcome Boroughmuir to the Greenyards on Saturday, September 13, elsewhere in the BT Premiership, Gala host Glasgow Hawks, while Hawick travel to Ayr. All games kick-off at 3pm.

In BT National League 1, Jed-Forest, Kelso and Selkirk are at home to Dundee, Biggar and Hillhead Jordan Hill, respectively, while Peebles are on the road to Aberdeen.