But Mike Bleasdale, the Melrose President, said he knew where the problems were during the 80 minutes. “We were up against a Hawick team desperate to get their season back on track and you cannot expect to win games when you make so many mistakes,” he said.

Hawick, who two weeks earlier had lost to Gala to the last kick of the game, almost suffered the same fate as Richard Mill lined up the conversion attempt of Tito Mua’s try deep into injury time.

But Mill’s effort failed, Hawick held out, and justice was done on the day.

“We lost too many turn-overs and Hawick took full advantage of that. They harried us and put us under pressure and deserved it,” Bleasdale added.

“But (with play-offs) there are a lot of teams in with a shout of the title and we hope to come back in the next game against Heriot’s.” Melrose were under severe pressure at times, with the Booker Man-of-the-Match Sean Goodfellow at the heart of the Hawick attacks.

The Hawick forwards were the driving force and did not allow Melrose to settle, and coach John Dalziel’s decision to put Mill on as a replacement kicker, did not quite pay dividends and the visitors were left with only a losing bonus point.

Lee Armstrong’s kicking, and aggressive and driving play by the pack, ensured that Hawick held out in a dramatic finale when Mill missed the conversion to win the game in injury time.

Hawick team manager Kevin Reid was delighted with the result. “It was hard earned, but after our defeat at Glasgow Hawks, the boys stuck in and showed a lot of character and we came back fighting. It’s a one-point result, but four points in the bag, he said.

Hawick’s stunning performance was reflected in Edinburgh Joaquin Dominguez’s try when down to 14 men with Nick McLennan in the sin-bin.

Hawick led 11-3 at the interval, Scott McLeod’s try making the difference, Armstrong landing two penalties to one by Austin Lockington.

Tries from Graeme Dodds and Euan McQuillin and a Lockington conversion put Melrose in front following Armstrong’s third penalty, but Dominguez’s try, converted by Armstrong, guided Hawick back into control despite Mua’s injury-time touch down.

Melrose: F. Thomson; T.Mua, B. Hutchison, R. Taylor, C. Anderson; A. Lockington, M. McAndrew; N. Beavon, T. Pearce, E. McQuillin, J. Head, L. Carmichael, N. Irvine-Hess, R. Miller, R. Knott. Replacements: R. Ferguson, G. Dodds, P. Eccles, R. Mill, T. Wilson.