Danny's last stand seals it for Bristol

The impact of Danny Gray's seven-goal volley in the drizzle at Ashton Gate means that a relatively unknown fly half with no future in the top flight has put the pre-season relegation favourites within touching distance of a home semi-final.

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Wasps, down to fifth as Bristol climb back into the top three, will be out of it unless they win Saturday's European Cup Final rehearsal at Leicester, who themselves need a win to guarantee them a home semi-final.

The victory over a Leicester team who rested 13 of the players who beat Llanelli in the European Cup semi-final meant that Bristol can raise their sights above mere qualification for the play-offs and into the top two finishing positions and a priceless home advantage.

Only Gloucester, still top of the table, stand in their way and suddenly everything is going Bristol's way.

They will be back at Ashton Gate on Saturday for what is supposed to be an away match, Gloucester's reconstruction of Kingsholm having forced them to hire an alternative venue.

Bristol coach Richard Hill said: "Now we have a huge incentive to beat Gloucester. It's here in Bristol, on our own ground, much as Gloucester might like to think it's theirs.

"We expected to win this one because of the team Leicester put out, and now that we're over this hurdle anything can happen on Saturday."

Nobody, save perhaps Wasps, will begrudge Bristol their lucky break at the end of a season when they have earned a reputation as the overachievers of the English game.

After spending the best part of the campaign twiddling his thumbs as their third-choice fly half, Gray can scarcely have imagined that he would get the chance to rearrange the top five positions.

Bristol told him a few weeks ago that his contract was not going to be renewed and the 23-year-old from Sussex signed for First Division Exeter instead.

Last night he treated the home fans to a farewell present they will not forget in a hurry.

With the veteran Welshman Jason Strange out of favour and the one-Test All Black David Hill feeling his way back after breaking a finger, Gray grabbed the rarest of chances with both hands, if not always with both feet.

His delay in a routine clearance invited one Leicester centre, Matt Cornwell, to charge it down and the other, Ollie Smith, to help himself to the try.

Gray's head-in-his-hands response reflected his anguish but any fear that he would let it affect his game vanished within minutes.

A night which could have gone horribly wrong turned into a personal triumph.

On top of three penalties in the first half and three more in the second, he also initiated Bristol's only try, launching Luke Arscott off on an exhilarating move finished by one of the unsung heroes of the season, the galloping lock Roy Winters.

Leicester stayed within touching distance for an hour but Bristol's forward dominance meant they could afford to lose two of their back row to the sin-bin at different times and win with plenty to spare, thanks to Gray and substitute hooker Scott Linklater exploiting a Tigers line-out fumble to score a last-minute try, although, for once, Gray missed the conversion.

BRISTOL: Arscott; Robinson, Brew, Cox, Lima; Gray, Nicholls (Hallam 64min); Hilton (Clarke 65), Regan (Linklater 64), Crompton; Winters, Llewellyn (Hohneck 64); To'oala (Budgett), Blowers, El Abd. T: Winters, Linklater. C: Gray. P: Gray 6.

LEICESTER: Murphy; Lloyd (Youngs 36), Smith, Cornwell, Varndell; Humphreys, Murphy; Moreno, Buckland (Hickie 63), Holford; Cullen, Hamilton; Croft (Deacon 52), Crane, Abraham. T: Smith.C: Humphreys. P: Humphreys 2.