PETERBOROUGH will have to overturn a big 14 point deficit to keep alive their dream of the Elite League title.
But for a late, late collapse, which saw Coventry crash in three 5-1s, in the last three heats it would have been a far different task at the East of England Showground.
The Readypower Panthers return to their home track next Monday (September 20) after going down 52-38 to in-form Coventry in the semi final first leg at Brandon.
A brilliant early rearguard action shook the Bees who have stormed from the bottom of the table to the top four on the back of a string of wins.
Kenneth Bjerre provided an ideal start with a first race win and after nine heats the Panthers held a four point lead.
Coventry, seeking their third title in six years, edged in front with four successive heat advantages but Rory Schlein stopped the rot with a Heat 12 victory against his parent club.
But when Bjerre went from first to third in Heat 13 it suddenly handed the initiative to the home side and was a hammer blow to the Panthers.
The world number four made a brilliant start but Harris went round him and then he left a big gap for Krzysztof Kasprzak to go through on the inside.
Skipper Niels-Kristian Iversen and Mathieu Tresarrieu trailed home in the minor placings in Heat 14 and then the Harris-Kasprzak pairing took another maximum in the final heat.
Team manager Trevor Swales said: “I’m not happy with the performance, there are some we are not happy with but next Monday is another day.
“They came back at us in the last couple of races but it’s not all over yet. There’s still another leg back at the Showground.”
COVENTRY 52 (Chris Harris 14:1, Krzysztof Kasprzak 10:1, Edward Kennett 9:1, Przemyslaw Pawlicki 7, Ben Barker 4:2, Richard Sweetman 4:1, Lewis Bridger 4).