LEICESTER boss Stewart Dickson admits he’s “delighted" with a 12-point lead after dominating their Championship Grand Final first leg.
The Watling JCB Lions were outstanding as they dumped Glasgow 51-39 at the Paul Chapman & Sons Arena on Saturday night.
But perhaps the only sour note for the home side was a last heat maximum from the visitors that slashed the deficit before the second leg at Ashfield Stadium on Tuesday night.
Dickson said: “Glasgow will feel they have the momentum after getting that last race 5-1. The truth is I would have snatched your arm off to have a 12-point lead at the start of the night.
“I was delighted with our performance. We dominated the meeting from the start and everyone played their part.
“They had the outstanding rider in Rasmus Jensen but we had the team performance and that’s what matters in the end.
“It will be very tough at Glasgow. It is very much just half time in this final. We have a lot of work to do at their place to complete the job.
“It’s a really good win for us but they will try and do the same to us in Glasgow on Tuesday night. It’s set to be a thrilling second leg that’s for sure.”
The Watling JCB Lions got off to the perfect start, roaring into a 13-5 lead after just three heats as Glasgow’s Claus Vissing was excluded for touching the tapes.
Then the Tigers No.1 Craig Cook encountered bike problems on the first bend of Heat 5 and another home 5-1 from excellent guest Richard Lawson and suddenly the lead was already 12 points.
Leicester extended their lead in Heat 8 and looked set to run up a huge home win as Glasgow were hanging on.
Cook then produced his best ride of the night to pass Ryan Douglas and the visitors secured their first heat advantage in Heat 11.
But two more 4-2s in Heat 12 and 14 gave the Lions a very healthy 16-point lead with just one race to go.
However, the very impressive Rasmus Jensen completed his five-ride 15-point maximum and was joined by Vissing for a crucial 5-1 which sets up the tie perfectly for the second leg at Ashfield Stadium in 72 hours.
LEICESTER 51: Richard Lawson 11+1, Ellis Perks 9+2, Ryan Douglas 8+1, Ty Proctor 7+2, Scott Nicholls 7+1, Connor Mountain 7+1, Joe Lawlor 2+1.
GLASGOW 39: Rasmus Jensen 15, Claus Vissing 8+2, Craig Cook 6, Mikkel B Andersen 4, Sam Jensen 4, Connor Bailey 2, Kyle Bickley 0.
