ROBINS boss Alun Rossiter thought his team were good value for their victory over Leicester Lions on Saturday night, despite the injuries that scuppered their hosts’ evening.

Firstly, former Robin Simon Stead pulled out just prior to the meeting following a crash riding for Sheffield the previous night. Then, young reserve Josh Bates went over his handlebars in his second heat of the night, before the Lions’ captain Mads Korneliussen was ruled out after a crash in heat eight.

Even before Bates’ crash in heat four, the Robins had already established their control, with Peter Kildemand and Nick Morris taking a maximum in the very first heat, and by the time Korneliussen went down, the Robins seemed to have all the answers to the Beaumont’s narrow track.

Rossiter, though undoubtedly grateful for the ease of victory provided by the opponents’ misfortune, was certain his side were on course for victory regardless.

“We were on top and I think we would have had enough, although the injuries obviously helped,” he said.

“At Swindon, we’ve started seasons like trains and faded away but this time we seem to be doing it the other way and getting stronger.

“We’ve stuttered, spluttered, started, stopped, and then got going again but now we really are hitting some form.

“Nick was superb for us tonight and Simon had a blinder of a race in heat 10, and that really was impressive.

“Dakota has been on fire, Peter’s back and that’s the big thing. We were winning matches, just, while he was scoring sixes and sevens but now he’s back and he’s flying.

“Eastbourne dropped a point (on Saturday) too, which is obviously good for us, so it’s a decent night’s work.”

Morris set the tone in the first heat. The Australian is known as somewhat of a track specialist at Leicester from his time racing at Beaumont in the Premier League, and he came charging out of the gate before letting Kildemand through on the second lap and holding off Jason Doyle for a 5-1.

In heat two, Nathan Greaves stepped up to fill the empty berth left by the absent Steve Worrall. With Max Clegg taking the heat win, Greaves bumped Bates wide to earn a 3-3 by allowing Matt Williamson to pick up the paid two..

Troy Batchelor had too much for Danny King and Korneliussen in the next heat but Gustafsson was well off at the gate and could not make an impac,t so the points were shared.

Following Bates’ crash, heat four was awarded to Swindon, the 18-year-old Lion coming into contact with Greaves once more but coming off worse, being forced out of the meet and seeing his Swindon rival awarded third.

Leicester picked up their first heat advantage of the night in the fifth, Doyle gating ahead of North and Klindt seeing off Gustafsson comfortably for a 4-2.

The two sides then swapped maximums, Batchelor and Kildemand besting Korneliussen and Klindt, before King and Clegg saw off Williamson after North had been excluded in the original run.

Heat eight saw the end of Kornliussen’s evening. A fall on the first bend meant a re-run but the crash had hurt the Lions captain, who did not feature as a force, leaving Klindt to split Morris and North for a 4-2 to Swindon.

Despite Bates not answering the starter’s call, heat nine was the Lions’ final heat advantage of the evening. Williamson’s exclusion left a straight ride-off between Greaves and Clegg that was over after the first bend. Greaves was pushed too wide and Clegg comfortably led home to the chequered flag.

Gustafsson found some form in heat 10 to make the first proper pass of the night, inexplicably rounding Lions’ number one Doyle on the bottom bend to earn the heat victory, with Batchelor taking third.

After the interval, North led home Kildemand for the Robins’ third maximum of the night and stretching the lead to a daunting 12 points with only four heats remaining, with the Lions three riders down.

So it proved, Morris taking his third heat win of the night to square the 12th from King and Clegg.

Only Doyle made the tapes in heat 13 and Kildemand saw off the Aussie, leaving North the simple task of staying upright for another Robins’ 4-2.

Greaves pulled out a great gate in the night’s penultimate run to secure the meeting with a heat to spare, North making the gate and the Swindon reserve holding off Clegg for a 4-2 and to leave an insurmountable 34-49 scoreline.

In the last action of the evening, Doyle pulled out a consolation heat win but King was nowhere, meaning the Robins were undefeated for the final six heats.

With Eastbourne only collecting two points from King’s Lynn, the Robins’ victory strengthened their play-off hopes ahead or the visit of Coventry on Monday.

A win in that would all but guarantee their post-season spot.