ALUN Rossiter has urged his side to put the ghost of 1967 to bed once and for all and write their names into Robins history when they go head-to-head with Poole for the Elite League title this evening.

The Blunsdon side take a seven-point lead to Dorset tonight for the second leg of the play-off final, with Rossiter returning to the scene of his finest hour as a team manager after winning the title with Coventry at Wimborne Road in 2010.

If he could repeat the trick with his hometown club it would be the Robins’ first national title in 45 years, and although the proud Swindonian would like nothing more than to bring the trophy back to Wiltshire, he does not expect the long wait for a title to play too big a part against the Pirates.

“This is a totally different meeting with different circumstances to when I won it with Coventry, but being in the same scenario again I think I am a bit older and a bit wiser, and I need to make sure I do the right thing by all of the riders,” he said.

“It would mean an awful lot to win it with Swindon, of course it would, because everyone goes on about the 45-year wait hanging over us.

“But it isn’t like that, although it would mean an awful lot to me and all of the riders to go on and win.

“These guys would go down in history if we can win it, but we have to do it now and it is no good just talking about it.”

Although the Pirates rallied to reduce the Robins’ lead to only seven points, Rossiter believes their opponents’ lack of lower-order strength will once again rear its head this evening.

“We have no problems with the seven points at all, and I still think we are in the driving seat,” he said.

“The last time we rode at Poole we only lost by eight and they had Pawlicki who scored 10, and the rider replacement got them three points in the first leg.

“We are going to Poole to win the meeting, and if you don’t think you can win you may as well stay at home.

“That is not just me being big, that is a fact.

“If we can get a sniff and get in front early on then I think we can put them under a lot of pressure.”