The right boot of Dan Parks was Glasgow’s most potent weapon against the Ospreys at Firhill on Friday as the Scottish fly-half landed a hat-trick of penalty goals to win his kicking duel with Shaun Connor.

Two penalty successes out of four attempts in the second half saw Parks make a crucial contribution as Glasgow notched their first Magners League win since November.

In slippery underfoot conditions, Glasgow started the brighter with Parks getting his side off the mark with a fourth-minute penalty after hands in the ruck from the visitors.

Glasgow, who came into the game having only won once in their last seven encounters with the Ospreys, looked the hungrier outfit in the opening quarter as they kept it tight, mauled forward well off lineout ball and sent up some high bombs through Parks.

But two penalties from Ospreys number 10 Connor inside the first quarter left the Welshmen with a 6-3 lead to defend in the second half.

His first effort came after Glasgow captain Alastair Kellock was whistled up by South African Jonathan Kaplan for a ruck offence. O’Connor converted from 32 metres out and he repeated the trick just three minutes later when the Scots’ prop Moray Low was pinged for going in off his feet at a ruck.

There was plenty of needle in this tie with Kellock and Wales-capped lock Alan Wyn Jones seen scrapping after a lineout. Glasgow looked the more likely to make the try breakthrough with hooker Fergus Thomson almost sent scampering away on the right after a snappy lineout.

Glasgow lost their skipper Kellock to a knee injury just four minutes into the second half and with Parks failing to negotiate a tricky wind from a place-kick, the Warriors knew they were going to have to dig deep to claim the match points.

With 27 minutes remaining, Parks raised the linesmens’ flags thanks to a fine long range penalty kick, levelling the game for the second time.

After a busy spell for the hosts, during which replacement winger Hefin O’Hare would have touched down a Parks cross-field kick only for the presence of Ospreys duo Nikki Walker and Filo Tiatia.

However, on the next phase of play, the Ospreys were caught offside and Parks sent over the kick from just outside the 22 for a 9-6 lead for his side.

With plenty on the line, mistakes began to creep into the game but Glasgow, roared on by a passionate home crowd, kept their heads and Parks managed to pin the Ospreys back in their 22.

With the rain falling more heavily, the Scots had to survive a full seven minutes of injury-time and when they almost lost possession at a late lineout, Sean Lineen’s men regrouped well to see out only their second win in all competitions in 2008.