Swindon spellbound by Witches (From Swindon Advertiser)

Swindon spellbound by Witches

1:42pm Tuesday 22nd July 2008 in

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SWINDON Robins boss Alun Rossiter remained upbeat last night despite his side's comprehensive defeat against Ipswich Witches last night.

Rossiter's side went down 54-39 against play-off rivals Ipswich but the Swindon boss put the defeat down to rustiness' rather than a gulf in class between the two sides.

The Robins boss, pictured below, highlighted poor performances from the likes of Mads Korneliussen (4+1) and James Wright (2) but ultimately blamed the defeat on poor gating and a lack of race practice following the recent speedway World Cup.

"I'm not making any excuses for the lads but there was a lot of rustiness out there," said Rossiter.

"The riders have not had any meetings and they were not gating well tonight because of that.

"Only Leigh Adams has really had a race and our performance showed that.

"I'm disappointed because we were confident but it was not a good meeting.

"We made a terrible start and were always up against it because of that.

"I expected Mads (Korneliussen) to do better and James (Wright) struggled, although he came good with a second place at the end, so I guess it's better late than never!"

Ipswich raced into an 18-6 lead after just four heats, forcing Rossiter to use Leigh Adams as a tactical ride.

Adams picked up full points for Swindon but two 5-1s followed for the Witches as they romped to a 30-15 advantage after seven heats.

Robins had 5-1s of their own but it was too little too late for the visitors.