THE SWINDON Robins endured a nightmare return to the Abbey Stadium as they were trounced at home by the Belle Vue Aces this evening.

Spirits were high following an extended break from Elite League competition but any pre-meeting optimism was soon ruthlessly dashed as Alun Rossiter’s side were put to the sword by a rampant Belle Vue outfit.

The hosts got off to the worst possible start as the Aces set the tone by romping to two early maximums, Kyle Howarth and Nick Morris vanquished by Matej Zagar and Max Fricke before Lewis Rose and James Wright had no answer to former Robin Steve Worrall and Stefan Nielsen.

Swindon skipper Troy Batchelor proved that he wouldn’t need to blow off any cobwebs after more than three weeks away from the Abbey Stadium as he blazed to victory in heat three but both that race and the fourth, where Grzegorz Zengota was edged out by Sam Masters, were drawn.

But there was another body blow in the offing for the home side and in heat five, Fricke streaked away, leaving Howarth locked in a fierce battle with Worrall for second-place, a tussle he would eventually lose as Belle Vue recorded their third 5-1 of the evening.

There was a glimmer of hope in the next heat as North and Zengota superbly scorched away from Zagar and Scott Nicholls and crossed the line first and second respectively to finally give the Abbey Stadium faithful something to shout about.

But the Robins were brought back down to earth with a cruel bump.

Batchelor’s nifty move to steal past Cook and Masters looked as though it had put him on track to clinch heat eight but, after Morris had retired, the Swindon captain also appeared to suffer a mechanical fault and slowed, allowing his opponents to breeze past and clinch a cruel maximum.

Zengota’s sublime display in heat eight wasn’t backed up as Fricke and Worrall eased Wright out of proceedings and Swindon chief Rossiter attempted to hand his team a life-line by giving Howarth the tactical ride in heat nine.

But the Robins number two was shut down by Sam Masters, barely given a sniff of first place for the entirety of the race as Nielsen bested Rose to ensure a 4-4 draw and maintaining the visitors’ vice-grip on proceedings.

Another impressive individual performance came from guest North in the tenth heat of the evening but Batchelor was unable to impose himself on proceedings and the points were shared evenly once again as Fricke and Zagar took second and third respectively.

Morris returned to form in heat 11 but once again, a fine display wasn’t adequately backed up as Howarth faded and was passed by both Nicholls and Cook, and then in heat 12, Rose span out of contention, allowing Worrall and Nielsen to romp to victory in the re-run.

Batchelor looked back on-song in the 13th but his revival was all too short-lived as he pulled up late in the race, allowing Zagar and Nicholls to pip him at the post and rub salt in the wounds with yet another punishing 5-1.

The hosts did restore a piece of pride in the final two heats of the night, with North and Zengota twice pairing up to seal heat victories but it was little more than late consolation.