Glasgow 45

Edinburgh 33

The fun returned to Friday nights for Glasgow fans at Hughenden as their team marked the return of former coach Richie Dixon with a season's best six tries to revive their hopes of playing European Cup rugby next season.

While the more honourable men on their playing staff would surely admit that Kiwi Searancke, the coach under whom they had lost all but three of their previous 15 matches, did not deserve all the blame, they could hardly have found a better way of justifying the decision to sack him.

All the old style was back as the players responded to caretaker coach Dixon's call to them to get their supporters back on side ahead of what will now be a vital Pro Cup meeting with the Borders next week, albeit they also benefitted from playing against a depleted Edinburgh side.

''The players did that,'' said Dixon. ''I would give them full credit but they'll get even more if they can reproduce it next week. It has been a bizarre week but there was a real buzz about training and the most important thing is that we've taken a big step towards getting our own people back on side.

As if to rub Searancke's nose in it, Glasgow registered the sort of try that had been their trademark under Dixon with their first attack of the game and the scorer was Rory Kerr, a player the New Zealander had refused to put in his starting line-up throughout his time in office. The score came from a lineout in the Edinburgh 22, Gordon Bulloch driving for the line before being stopped just short and the ball was recycled and fired left where Glenn Metcalfe squeezed the scoring pass out a tackle.

As Dixon observed: ''Rory has always been a local laddie. That score was the catalyst and the spur that both the crowd and our players needed.''

Calvin Howarth converted from the touchline to further indicate that Glasgow's confidence had returned and while Duncan Hodge reduced the arrears with a penalty, the home side scored a second soon after. Kerr, Rory McKay, another neglected by Searancke and Graeme Beveridge, made inroads before a ruck was formed under the posts, where prop Cam Blades threw a dive pass from the base of the ruck to send it left again and Howarth was waiting on the touchline to cut infield and battle his way over.

Competition leaders Edinburgh demonstrated their determination not to be embarrassed when Tom Philip, looking lively and powerful in the centre, sliced his way through the midfield for their first try.

Hodge converted and he and Howarth exchanged penalties before Edinburgh claimed the lead for the first time with a high quality try as the stand-off released the ball brilliantly out of a tackle to let Dougie Hall provide the link and put Scott Murray in. Another penalty apiece preceded a crafty, but cynical play that saw Nathan Hines sin-binned after Graeme Beveridge seemed to throw a pass directly at him as he retreated in an offside position.

Glasgow kicked the penalty to touch, drove close from the lineout then recycled patiently until the gap opened for Joe Naufahu to nip through, Howarth adding the conversion to nudge his side ahead at the end of an entertaining half.

Edinburgh were heavily punished in Hines' absence as Glasgow scored two quick tries after the re-start. First Howarth as he looped Lee Harrison in midfield, stretched the defence then fed Bulloch wide on the right and he used his strength to hold off Craig Joiner before returning the ball to his stand- off who scampered over.

Howarth's conviction then got his side on the front foot again before Beveridge gave two shows of the ball to draw the defence and let Metcalfe get in behind the defensive line before taking the scoring pass.

Back to full strength Edinburgh responded when, with his pack camped on the Glasgow line, Mike Blair spun out of a tackle to put Dougie Hall over. The hooker's namesake, Andy, then spurned a chance to make the game safe for Glasgow when losing control as he sought to touch-down.

However, doubtless to the chagrin of any watching Borderers - Brendan Laney having pulled out before the game after again breaking down with a recurrence of his thigh injury - Edinburgh were removing leading players at regular intervals and, after another Howarth penalty, Metcalfe broke clean away from a ruck midway inside the visitors' half to make the game safe.

Edinburgh's youngsters did stick to their task, though and Philip's second try in the dying moments earned a bonus point to ease them further clear in the trophy race.

Glasgow G Metcalfe; M Bartlett (S Moffat 80), J Naufahu, A Henderson, R Kerr; C Howarth, G Beveridge; C Blades (D Hilton 52), G Bulloch, L Harrison, N Ross, A Hall, R McKay (R Reid 52), A Wilson, J Petrie Edinburgh D Lee (C Paterson 67); C Joiner, T Philip, A Dickson, C Sharman; D Hodge, M Blair (G Burns 67); R Mathieson, D Hall, M Thomson (A Dickinson 74), G Perrett, S Murray (A Kellock 63), N Hines (A Satala 65), A Dall, S Taylor (S Cross 55)

Referee E Darriere (France)

Scoring sequence (Glasgow first) 7-0, 7-3, 12-3, 12-10, 15-10, 15-13, 15-18, 18-18,

18-21, 25-21 (half-time); 30-21, 35-21,

35-28, 38-28, 45-28, 45-33

Scorers. Glasgow. Tries Kerr 5, Howarth 11, Naufahu 40, Howarth 44, Metcalfe 47, 67 Cons Howarth 5, 40, 67 Pens Howarth 19, 32, 64

Edinburgh. Tries Philip 16, 76, Murray 28, Hall 51 Cons Hodge 16, 51 Pens Hodge 9, 24, 36