Ulster defeated Glasgow by the slimmest of margins at Firhill tonight.

After the game, Warriors head coach Sean Lineen said: “It was soul destroying. Our discipline cost us.

“We gave away two soft tries when Moray Low was sent to the sin bin. I was proud of the way the players came back, they really stuck in there.

“We could’ve won that game with the last kick of the game but it was lost long before then.”

The Warriors struggled to get into their stride with a very tentative opening 40 minutes.

Both fullbacks, Ulster’s Clinton Schifcofske and Glasgow’s Colin Gregor, missed their initial penalty attempts as the two sides looked to take the early initiative.

Gregor and Schifcofske exchanged penalties until the game was tied at six-points-each.

Glasgow broke through via the popular centre partnership of Graeme Morrison and Max Evans. Morrison soaked in his opposite number and popped a nicely weighted pass to Evans who burst through the gap.

As play moved from right to left and back again, stand-off Ruaridh Jackson spotted a great chance for the drop goal, perhaps with better options available out wide, his attempt drifted wide of the posts.

Glasgow were dealt a crucial blow when prop Moray Low was sent to the sin bin as the referee tired of reminding him to take his hands off the ball whilst lying on the ground.

Ulster issued the ultimate punishment for Low’s actions and ran in two tries in quick succession.

With Ulster opting for a scrum on the Glasgow five-metre-line, Ulster drove Glasgow back and David Pollock peeled off to touch down. Schifcofske converted.

A great asset to the Scotland team during the RBS 6 Nations turned into a very different prospect for Glasgow moments later when Simon Danielli made a thundering trademark run up the left flank. He beat Glasgow’s Lome Fa’atau and dived over at the corner. Schifcofske converted.

As Low returned from the sin bin, he passed Bryan Young who was sent in the opposite direction giving Glasgow the extra man in the opening ten minutes of the second half.

Jackson tried to claw back another three points from inside Glasgow’s half, but he didn’t have the distance.

Half-time score: Glasgow 6 – 20 Ulster

Glasgow took full advantage of the extra man as Dougie Hall broke free in midfield. Jackson injected the forward impetus and neat pass from John Barclay sent Thom Evans through. Gregor converted.

Dan Parks entered the game just after the hour mark and slotted his first penalty after just two minutes on the field.

He added his second with three minutes to go to bring the Warriors back to within a point of a draw.

However, an injury time penalty could have sealed the game but Parks’ attempt drifted millimetres to the right but the game was lost before then.

Man of the Match (sponsored by Isoplan): Max Evans (Glasgow Warriors)

Glasgow Warriors: Colin Gregor; Lome Fa’atau, Max Evans, Graeme Morrison, Thom Evans; Ruaridh Jackson, Mark McMillan; Kevin Tkachuk, Dougie Hall, Moray Low, Tim Barker, Alastair Kellock CAPTAIN, James Eddie, John Barclay, Kelly Brown
Replacements: Justin Va’a for Eddie (34 mins) for Va’a (44 mins), Dan Turner for Barker (50 mins) for Turner (57 mins) for Barker (65 mins), Bernardo Stortoni for McMillan (57 mins), Dan Parks for Jackson (62 mins), Calum Forrester for Eddie (65 mins)
Fergus Thomson, Andrew Henderson

Ulster: Clinton Schifcofske; Andrew Trimble, Ian Whitten, Paddy Wallace, Simon Danielli; Niall O'Connor, Paul Marshall; Bryan Young, Rory Best (Capt), Brendon Botha, Carlo Del Fava, Ryan Caldwell, Stephen Ferris, David Pollock, Robbie Diack
Replacements: Nigel Brady, Daniel Roach, Matt McCullough, Chris Henry, Isaac Boss, Daren Cave, Ian Humphreys

Referee: Gwyn Morris (WRU)