ALUN Rossiter enjoyed a successful first return to former club Coventry last night as his Swindon Robins side claimed an impressive 48-42 away victory at Brandon.

The Robins were always in control and were never behind as they secured three Elite League points, although they did suffer a scare as the home side pulled themselves level at the end of heat 13 thanks to a win for former Robin Scott Nicholls.

But Troy Batchelor easily won heat 14 to give the Robins a slim advantage and settle the nerves going into the decider, and after home number one Chris Harris packed up on the line, the Australian led partner Hans Andersen round to secure a match-winning maximum. Rossiter was pleased with the way his side bounced back from disappointment of Thursday night’s home draw with King’s Lynn, but believes his side could easily have come away with maximum points.

“I am very pleased obviously, but I think some of us made some silly mistakes like Peter and Hans which meant we made it hard for ourselves,” he said.

“We have got to start putting things to bed earlier but a win is a win and we are pleased.

“To win back at Coventry is nice and the fans were very good to me, but because it is a different promotion here now it isn’t quite the same.

“The fans showed me a lot of appreciation which is nice, but my job is with Swindon and I will give 120 per cent for them.”

Rossiter wasn’t the only Robin making a return to Brandon, with Andersen, Simon Stead and Peter Kildemand also back at their former club, and Rossiter believes their knowledge of the track gave his side the advantage.

“I think it played a big part in it, but Swindon have always been good round here and it was the same tonight,” he said.

“Obviously having good track knowledge helps, but the other guys did well too and it was a good win for us.”

The Robins took the lead as early as heat two, as Seb Alden and Dawid Lampart secured their side’s first maximum of the night, and it stayed that way until heat six as the Bees looked to have levelled things up, but GP star Harris packed up on the last lap, allowing Alden and KIldemand to glide through and pick up a vital draw.

Batchelor bounced back quickly from a last place in his opening ride to win heat seven ahead of former Robin Nicholls, and after Kennett took himself onto the fence in heat nine, Kildemand took full advantage to extend the visitors’ lead to eight points.

Harris won the tenth ahead of Stead and Batchelor to drag his side back into the contest, and Andersen and Bjerre got in each other’s way in the next as Nicholls and Pepe Franc secured a vital 5-1.

Stead and Alden kept things tight with a 3-3 behind Franc in heat 12, but the home side completed their comeback in heat 13 as Nicholls and Harris secured a 4-2 to level things up at 39-39.

Batchelor won heat 14 and was backed up by Lampart in third as the Robins took a narrow lead into the decider, before Harris’ mechanical gremlins struck again allowing the Robins claimed the win.