Glasgow 47 Panthers 45

Peteborough picked up their first point of the Premier League season – but club supremo Mick Horton was still left seething.

The ‘TC Harrison’ Panthers went down to a narrow defeat at the hands of a Glasgow side who had lost all seven previous meetings in 2014.

And Horton was not at all impressed about becoming the Tigers’ first victims as his side were never able to recover after conceding 5-1s in three of the opening five heats – two of which arrived in races featuring guest Panthers number one Richard Lawson.

Panthers were still in a position to snatch a draw with a 5-1 of their own in the finale, but the meeting ended on a low note as star turn Lasse Bjerre was involved in a horror crash after being hit by Glasgow top-scorer Dimitri Berge.

The two riders were battling over third place on the final lap when the incident happened and the race was awarded as a 4-2 with skipper Ulrich Ostergaard out in front.

But, for the second time in 24 hours after a 52-40 loss at Workington on Saturday, Panthers came up short against a team boasting greater strength in depth.

Horton said: “I can’t knock the riders as they gave it their all, but it wasn’t the result we wanted. Far from it.

“Glasgow hadn’t won a meeting until today and we certainly didn’t want to become the first team to lose to them.

“We made the worst possible start and conceded far too many 5-1s.

“Richard didn’t score the points we expected at number one and the boys at the bottom end weren’t quite on it again.

“The big worry is that we have only really had three or four guys firing in both meetings this weekend and that is something we need to address if we are going to pick up results on the road.

“I feel sorry for the Panthers fans who travelled up to both meetings. It is a hell of a long way to go to only pick up one point.

“And I’m gutted for Lasse to be involved in a crash like that at the end of a weekend in which he has ridden so well.

“His bike is wrecked and his arm has swollen up, but we are obviously hoping there is no major damage to him.”

Panthers had to use a tactical ride as early as heat six when the outstanding Bjerre hauled them back into contention.

The Danish ace was followed in by former Glasgow man Joe Jacobs for an 8-1 which reduced the arrears to just three points.

The gap grew again as Lewis Blackbird and Oliver Greenwood, who both struggled with two points apiece, were no match for Berge and Anders Thomsen in heat eight.

The teams then traded 5-1s in heats 11 and 12 – Jacobs and Ales Dryml doing the honours for Panthers in the latter race – before Lawson’s frustrating afternoon continued as he was passed by Wolbert for victory on the final lap of a shared 13th race.

There was more drama in the penultimate contest as Ostergaard eventually got the better of Kasper Lykke in an all-Danish match race. The initial staging had been halted when Theo Pijper came to grief after Jacobs had already retired.

And it was followed by a painful finish in heat 15 for a Panthers side who return to action on Tuesday (April 29) when entertaining Newcastle in front of the Sky Sports cameras at the East of England Showground.

GLASGOW 47: Dimitri Berge 9+1, Kevin Wolbert 8, Rusty Harrison 8, Kasper Lykke 7+2, Theo Pijper 7, Anders Thomsen 5+1, Mark Lemon 3+2.

PETERBOROUGH 45: Lasse Bjerre 14+1, Ulrich Ostergaard 10, Ales Dryml 7+3, Joe Jacobs 6+1, Richard Lawson 4, Oliver Greenwood 2, Lewis Blackbird 2.