SWINDON Robins chairman Terry Russell was delighted to see his team become the inaugural champions of the SGB Premiership on Wednesday night.

The Abbey Stadium outfit overturned a four-point deficit at Monmore Green to be crowned British speedway champions for 2017 after handing the initiative to Wolverhampton Wolves, last season’s Elite League winners, on Monday.

Swindon suffered a 47-43 defeat at their Blunsdon home in the first leg of the Premiership Grand Final before a dramatic finale in the Black Country, which went down to the final heat, saw Alun Rossiter’s men lift the trophy following their 47-42 success.

“Obviously, everyone thought that the wheels fell off on Monday,” Russell told the Advertiser.

“We could have come here with a 12-point lead and lost, but we came here with our heads high and done a job.”

Having been written off before even a clutch was dropped back in April, the Robins, who lost five out of six meetings in May, produced a record-breaking 17 wins on the spin en route to finishing the regular season top of the pile having slipped to second from bottom.

Rossiter made the first tweak to his side in May when bringing in Dany Gappmaier to replace Emil Grondal at reserve.

However, the Austrian was released in July when Rossiter and Russell flew out to Poland to snap up Tobiasz Musielak, a move helped turn around Swindon’s fortunes, who slotted into the septet at three with Bradley Wilson-Dean dropping down to reserve.

“That’s all it needed, that one spot and, once we discovered Tobiasz, it turned the year around,” said Russell.

“Everyone has dug deep and rode hard. Apart from the other records we have broken we are the first team to win the Premiership.

“It’s been a fantastic season and I hope the fans have enjoyed it – it has been great.”