GLASGOW boss Cami Brown hailed the “gutsy” performance from his side after an epic win over Oxford.
The Allied Vehicles Tigers beat the Cheetahs 51-39 in the Championship KO Cup quarter-final first leg at Ashfield on Friday night.
Oxford led in the early stages and the home side lost Ace Pijper after a nasty crash with a suspected broken wrist.
But hero reserve Jack Smith delivered big time with paid 12 points helped Tigers build up a first leg lead.
Brown said: “It was looking difficult early on when we lost Ace.
“But Jack was sensational and all the boys stepped up their game to put Oxford under so much pressure.
“They are a very good side but we have managed to deliver something to defend at their place on Wednesday.
“To be honest I’ve never seen Jack ride that well. He was the match winner and James Pearson also produced two brilliant 5-1s as well and Leon Flint was excellent. It was a really gutsy performance.
“It’s only half-time. They are seriously good at Cowley. But we’ve given ourselves a chance.”
CAB DIRECT KO CUP, QUARTER-FINAL,1st leg
GLASGOW 51: Chris Harris 11+1, Jack Smith 10+2, Steve Worrall 9+1, Leon Flint 8+2, James Pearson 6+2, Paul Starke 5, Ace Pijper 2.
OXFORD 39: Scott Nicholls 10+1, Sam Masters 10, Jordan Jenkins 6+1, Ashton Boughen 6, Cameron Heeps 4+1, Luke Killeen 3, Henry Atkins 0.