Self-inflicted injuries killed off Glasgow Warriors bid to reach the Heineken Cup quarter-finals for the first time as last night's decisive Pool 4 match provided further evidence that Scottish teams no longer have anything to fear when facing Europe's best sides.

Conditions as well as the quality of opponents who were also looking to get into the quarter-finals of this tournament for the first time, conspired against any real prospect of scoring the four tries they needed, but it was their own mistakes that cost them victory as they handed Saracens both their tries.

The English side was also helped by the TV official, whose failure to ask for all the camera angles saw him wrongly award their first try, but Sean Lineen, the Warriors' head coach, was magnanimous.

"We made it pretty easy for them and gifted them their two tries, whereas we crafted ours," he said. "The first one was a schoolboy error. It may not have been a try because Sky showed the wrong clip but the ball should have been pressed down first so I'm not going to crazy about that.

"I'm proud of the players for the way they stuck in after that one and after giving away the second. The most encouraging thing is that the young Scottish players were excellent again, in particular the back-row as well as Murray Low and Fergus Thomson in the front-row while Al Kellock led the team well, but it's very frustrating and we've got to start winning these games."

By contrast Alan Gaffney, Saracens' head coach, was a mightily relieved man as he admitted that four previous meetings with the Warriors in the past 15 months had earned his full respect.

"I was very nervous about coming up here because I felt we were on a hiding to nothing," he said.

"I didn't want to think the unthinkable that we could lose and concede four tries, but I had a few sleepless nights, although I made sure I did not convey that to the players."

So severe was the wind that there was a delay in getting the crowd into their seats because advertising hoardings were being blown around in dangerous fashion.

As anticipated, it was a record 5213 crowd that had to be fitted in, too, with plenty fez-clad Saracens supporters among the locals, justifying the decision to open Firhill's North Stand.

There was a major blow for the home contingent before kick-off when it was revealed that a knee injury suffered at Viadana last week had ruled out the Warriors' most experienced campaigner, Daryl Gibson, the former Canterbury Crusader who played in last season's Heineken Cup final with Leicester, having to be replaced by Scott Barrow.

It looked as if the Warriors were, however, going to make the perfect start when Hefin O'Hare latched on to a Sam Pinder chip down the left, but he had put a toe in touch.

The winger did then contribute to the opening score but sadly for him at the wrong end as he made that horribly naive blunder. Glen Jackson's speculative kick had looked to be rolling dead as O'Hare escorted the ball deep into his in-goal area, but he waited too long to touch it down giving Richard Haughton the chance to race up and get hands to it.

The Saracens winger did not look as if he thought he had scored, but the referee was unsure and asked the replay official to adjudicate. Typical of the Warriors' recent luck, the replay which showed that the ball was in touch before Haughton touched it down was not shown until after the score was awarded.

With a brief shower making handling even more difficult, scoring was confined to penalty kicks until injury time, Parks getting his team within two points on three occasions, with Jackson twice responding before the Warriors ended the half as they had begun it by throwing away the initiative when, as he broke from a scrum close to halfway, Pinder threw a pass inside to John Beattie without looking. What he failed to see in doing so was the ever-alert Jackson, who intercepted to scurry away under the posts for a try he converted himself.

Needing a good start to the second half, the Warriors were, as they had been for most of the first, much the livelier side, but as it has been throughout the season, their handling let them down at key moments.

By contrast, Saracens remained much more efficient and were only denied a third try by a brilliant covering tackle from Parks, holding up the much more powerful Haughton as he crossed the line, the replay official this time finding in the Warriors' favour.

Brent Russell then guddled the ball with the line at his mercy, but, just as it was beginning to look as if Saracens were gaining the upper hand, they took their turn to concede the initiative.

A penalty award on half-way let Parks find touch deep in the 22 and, from the lineout, the stand-off found Thom Evans racing over from his right wing. His pace took him past two men before he committed the last defender and handed the score to Bernie Stortoni.

Jackson, having registered his third penalty, there was widespread dismay among spectators when Parks opted to kick for goal when awarded a pen-alty inside the 22, but his strike meant one try could then see his side snatch a win that would leave them with a glimmer of hope of qualifying as one of the best runners-up.

In the event even that proved beyond them, though, as Saracens wound down the clock effectively in the closing stages.

Warriors B Stortoni; T Evans, C Gregor (G Morrison 48), S Barrow, H O'Hare; D Parks, S Pinder; J Va'a (K Tkachuk 48), F Thomson, M Low (E Kalman 68), A Kellock, O Palepoi (D Turner 40), K Brown (J Eddie 80), J Barclay, J Beattie

Saracens B Russell; R Haughton, K Sorrell (K Ratavou 23), A Farrell, R Penney; G Jackson, N de Kock; N Lloyd, F Ongaro, C Johnston, C Jack, H Vyvyan, K Chesney, R Hill (P Gustard 50), B Skirving Referee A Lewis (Ireland)