Geordie win shores up Tigers’ title challenge
GLASGOW boss Stewart Dickson reckons he has his team exactly where he wants them after they bagged a superb away win at Newcastle on Sunday night.
The Tigers moved into second place in the SGB Championship with the three points they earned in the 47-43 victory.
It could have been four but for the performance of home No.1 Robert Lambert, who scored nearly half the hosts’ points with an 18-point maximum.
The win puts pressure on Edinburgh, who are five points in front but played four more matches than Glasgow.
Dickson said: “We had an opportunity with them being minus Stevie Worrall – any team would have missed a rider of his calibre.
“They were unbeaten at home but it was a chance for us to take advantage of that and the way it started with the first couple of races, it did look like that wasn’t going to happen. But we didn’t panic and we slowly chipped away at it, and we thrust ourselves back in front around halfway through the meeting.
“We got the three points which was pretty pleasing, because Sheffield got an away win as well, so we know that our rivals are getting points away from home.”
Dickson praised a good team performance with all seven riders chipping in with vital points – and credited Tom Perry and Aaron Summers’ 5-1 in heat nine as being the turning point of the meeting.
He said: “Tom had a big race when he beat their middle pairing of Lewis Rose and Ludvig Lindgren.
“I think that was the catalyst for the second half – we began to turn the screw on them then.
“And then Richard Lawson and Dan Bewley got a 5-1 as well in heat 11, and we got to eight up at that point.
“You’re trying to get over the line for the three points, but I’m not going to lie, you do begin to look at the four points.
“Unfortunately it never happened for us as they got a 5-1 in heat 15.
“It would’ve been nice to get four points but after heat two, six points behind, we would’ve taken it then.
“It puts us back into second and in contention, and very much where we want to be at this stage of the season.”
Glasgow now turn attentions to facing fellow title rivals Ipswich at the Peugeot Ashfield Stadium on Saturday night.