Tries from Luke Pettie, Callum Mackintosh, and replacement Rex Jeffrey, added to a hat-trick of penalties from Ruairi Howarth and a conversion from Craig Dods, proved the difference between the two sides at Raeburn Place on Saturday.

However, with Ruairidh Young scoring three tries for the home team, two of which were converted by Alex Glashan, the Maroons had to bounce back from behind to secure their fifth win in a row.

Speaking to the Border Telegraph pitchside following the full-time whistle, Graham said: “We’re very, very frustrated by the fact that we are winning but we have set high standards for ourselves and we’re not achieving them. We scored three tries and for me we should have scored more.

“There were loads of factors in the game that we were disappointed with - the tackling in the first half was really poor and we just weren’t as intensive as we should have been at the break down area. To be fair, Accies are a no bad side. They like to spin it about. And I think their pack is vastly improved from what it was in seasons gone by.

“I’m happy with the win but I’m not happy with how we are achieving it. We need to be a lot more consistent.

“I don’t expect the players to play at a really high intensity for 80 minutes but we need to elongate the periods where we are playing at a high intensity.” The match pitted top versus bottom of the table but, with Gala trailing 12-8 at half-time, it wasn’t always clear which team was which.

Accies were twice reduced to 14 men when first Ed Stuart and then Greg Campbell were yellow carded.

But Gala, who were forced to call up Lewis Bertram as a late replacement for Russell Anderson and lost Gavin Young early in the game, struggled at times to contain them.

Edinburgh Accies Head Coach Phil Leck, who is still looking for his side’s first win, said: “I thought we were the better side, I thought we played the better rugby and we didn’t get our just desserts.

“But we’re playing too much this season with 14 men and we’re the architects of our own downfall. And we’ve got to stop doing that.

“It’s a long season and there is plenty in the tank and I don’t think it will be long until we start turning the corner.” The former Hawick coach admitted every team in the league was capable of beating each other on their day, after being informed that his former club had beaten last season’s champions, Melrose, at Mansfield Park.

However, he claimed results weren’t always in his hands.

“It just depends what pros you get,” Leck explained. “The top and bottom of it is if you can get the right people out on the pitch every week then you win. We’ve been hamstrung over three games now where we’ve not had the same pick as anybody else.

“What happened with Alex Toolis this week was just a farce, a total farce, so it’s quite difficult to plan.” Graham took issue with Leck’s claim that the best side didn’t win on the day.

He added: “Phil Leck doesn’t really know what he is talking about and that’s why he is sitting at the bottom of the league. It is very seldom that the team at the bottom of the league will beat the team at the top of the league and that’s why we’re sitting where we are - because we’re obviously better.” Gala: C Dods, S Law, C Auld, A Emond, G Young, R Howarth, Geo Graham (Capt); L Pettie, C Mackintosh, G Robertson, C Weir, O Palepoi, G Graham, J Irvine, E Dods. Replacements: L Bertram, T Weir, S Cairns, B Thompson, R Jeffrey.