Parks inspires Glasgow

Dan Parks starred for Glasgow as they beat Ulster 25-18 in their Magners League match at Firhill on Friday.

The fly-half kicked 20 points including four vital second-half drop-goals as the Warriors fought their way back from a poor first half.

Paul Marshall had put Ulster ahead but Parks reduced the deficit with a 13th-minute penalty - the score remaining 5-3 until the interval.

Ian Humphreys helped Ulster re-establish their five-point cushion at 11-6 but a Graeme Morrison try and three further drop-goals from Parks put Glasgow in control.

Jamie Smith scored a late consolation try for Ulster but it was not enough to prevent a fourth consecutive loss.

Desperate need

Both sides came into the match in desperate need of points - Ulster wanting to beat Connacht to a Heineken Cup place, with Glasgow needing to stay in the running for a play-off place.

Although both Kevin Tkachuk and John Beattie put the hosts deep in opposing territory in the opening minutes, it was the visitors who scored first through Marshall.

Having spotted the ball at the edge of a ruck, the scrum-half hacked the ball downfield three times about 80 metres before touching down.

Parks' response came 10 minutes later after a 50-metre break by Max Evans resulted in an Ulster infringement.

Home momentum could not be sustained though against an Ulster defence which sought to exploit referee Peter Allan's lenient application of the offside law.

Indeed, they could have conceded a second try but for some desperate defensive cover after Ulster had hacked the ball forward once more.

Parks then saw a penalty drift wide, with the game limping to half-time.

Frustration

Glasgow's frustrations spilled over at the start of the second half when Al Kellock and Chris Henry became involved in a fracas but things then started to look up.

After Colin Shaw and Bernie Stortoni had gained Glasgow territory, Parks put them ahead with his first drop-goal.

Ulster responded soon enough, however, with a Humphreys penalty and then stretched their lead to five points after Moray Low infringed.

Stortoni won another penalty which Parks converted before the full-back surged forward to allow his team-mate the chance to convert drop goal number two.

John Beattie and Dougie Hall then sent Morrison clear - the big centre crashing through two attempted tackles before crossing.

Parks kicked the extras and soon dropped two more goals as Ulster's second match in four days started to take its toll.

Even so, they rallied late on as Simon Danielli put Smith over, with Humphreys' conversion salvaging a vital bonus point for Ulster.