Workington Comets have work to do to reach the SGB Championship play-off final after a 13-point defeat at Glasgow in the semi-final first leg.

Comets are set to race the second leg against the Tigers at Derwent Park tonight (7.30pm start) following an action-packed meeting at Ashfield which saw Workington go down 51-38.

Four retirements, a fall and an exclusion cost the away side crucial points and they squandered a number of good starts, but they got away with a surmountable score and the recent miracle comeback against Edinburgh will fill them with belief that it is possible.

Glasgow were without their former Workington rider and GB international Craig Cook, who’s out with a hand injury and called in another ex-Comet in Ricky Wells at No1 in his place.

Another familiar face had a big say in the opening heat as James Sarjeant, who rode at reserve for Workington last season, took out Campton on the first lap and was excluded.

Rene Bach, who has moved to No1 for Workington, pulled up in the rerun before the first bend but Mason Campton did the business ahead of his friend Wells to give Comets a slender lead.

Campton could only split Jack Thomas and Jordan Stewart in heat two as the hosts quickly snatched the lead in a 4-2, with Kyle Bickley retiring at the back, before Nicolai Klindt was forced to start 15 metres back in heat three for delaying the start.

Paul Starke and Claus Vissing capitalised with a big 5-1 as Rasmus Jensen provided the third away retirement in as many races, before Comets squandered a 5-1 of their own as Chris Harris passed Ty Proctor then Mason Campton for a 3-3 in heat four.

The visitors gated again in heat five but Vissing, another former Comet, was past Bach and Klindt by the second bend and Starke pipped the latter into third for a Glasgow 4-2, with another following in heat six from Wells and Sarjeant as Proctor could only manage second and Bickley was last from the gate to put the Tigers nine points up.

Comets narrowed the gap with a 5-1 in heat seven, aided by some mechanical problems for Glasgow’s Chris Harris while he was leading on the final lap to allow Jensen and Klindt through, but they did the Tigers a huge favour in the next race as Campton was excluded as referee Jim McGregor judged he had wiped out Stewart.

Jensen rode a fantastic race to pass Sarjeant and earn a 3-3 to prevent the home side taking advantage but they did in the next race as Proctor crashed out while second after losing out to Starke, letting Vissing in for a home 5-1.

Workington picked up a crucial 4-2 in heat 10 but it could so easily have been a 5-1 as Klindt took control at the front and Sarjeant went from second to last behind him, with Jensen in behind his team-mate until Wells made a move for second to limit the damage.

Harris gated and was untouchable in heat 11 but the Comets duo kept Thomas the back to avoid the deficit increasing, but they were undone by the Tigers in heat 12 as Campton continued his great performance with two points, only narrowly missing out on the win to Vissing, but Klindt floundered at the back.

Heat 13 looked ominous with Wells and Harris lining up for the hosts and although Proctor managed second place, Harris came from the back past Bach to earn a 4-2 which stretched their lead to 11 points.

The penultimate heat presented a good opportunity for Workington to chip away at that lead but a disastrous opening lap retirement for Campton put paid to that and they had to settle for a shared heat as Jensen again beat the home pair to the flag.

It could have been worse in heat 15 as Vissing and Harris scored another 4-2, with Jensen again among the points while Klindt struggled at the back, leaving Workington with food for thought ahead of the decider.

Glasgow Tigers 51

1. Ricky Wells – 2, 3, 2, 3 = 10

2. James Sarjeant – X, 1, 2, F = 3

3. Claus Vissing – 2*, 3, 2*, 3, 3 = 13+2

4. Paul Starke – 3, 1, 3, 1* = 8+1

5. Chris Harris – 3, 1, 3, 1, 1 = 9

6. Jack Thomas – 3, 0, 0 = 3

7. Jordan Stewart – 1, 0, 1*, 1, 2 = 5+1

Workington Comets 38

1. Rene Bach – R, 2, 2, 0 = 4

2. Dan Bewley R/R

3. Nicolai Klindt – 1, 0, 2*, 3, 0, 0 = 6+1

4. Rasmus Jensen – R, 3, 3, 1, 3, 2 = 12

5. Ty Proctor – 1*, 2, F, 2 = 5+1

6. Kyle Bickley – R, 0, 1 = 1

7. Mason Campton – 3, 2, 2, X, 1*, 2, R = 10+1

HEAT 1 (RERUN) – Campton, Wells, Bach (retired), Sarjeant (excluded) – 57.2, 2-3

HEAT 2 – Thomas, Campton, Stewart, Bickley (retired) – 58.8, 4-2, 6-5

HEAT 3 – Starke, Vissing, Klindt (15 metres), Jensen (retired) – 57.7, 5-1, 11-6

HEAT 4 (RERUN) – Harris, Campton, Proctor, Stewart – 56.9, 3-3, 14-9

HEAT 5 – Vissing, Bach, Starke, Klindt – 57.6, 4-2, 18-11

HEAT 6 – Wells, Proctor, Sarjeant, Bickley – 57.8, 4-2, 22-13

HEAT 7 – Jensen, Klindt, Harris, Thomas – 58.6, 1-5, 23-18

HEAT 8 – Jensen, Sarjeant, Stewart, Campton (excluded) – 58.7, 3-3, 26-21

HEAT 9 – Starke, Vissing, Bickley, Proctor (fell) – 57.8, 5-1, 31-22

HEAT 10 – Klindt, Wells, Jensen, Sarjeant (fell) – 57.8, 2-4, 33-26

HEAT 11 – Harris, Bach, Campton, Thomas – 57.9, 3-3, 36-29

HEAT 12 – Vissing, Campton, Stewart, Klindt – 58.9, 4-2, 40-31

HEAT 13 – Wells, Proctor, Harris, Bach – 58.1, 4-2, 44-33

HEAT 14 – Jensen, Stewart, Starke, Campton (retired) – 58.2, 3-3, 47-36

HEAT 15 – Vissing, Jensen, Harris, Klindt – 57.9, 4-2, 51-38