ROBINS reserve Lewis Rose went through a big learning curve as he endured a tough season with Swindon.

It was an injury hit campaign for the 26-year-old as he was caught up in a final-bend collision with the safety fence in the home meeting with Poole Pirates in July.

Rose suffered a broken scaphoid and shoulder damage as he missed nine meetings for the Robins before returning for their trip to Coventry at the start of September.

Rose finished with an average of 4.8, and admitted that he struggled with the Abbey Stadium track for much of the season.

“It has been tough for me coming to Swindon, because I had only been here once prior to coming here this year,” said Rose.

“It has been tough and I am still learning to ride a bike and learning speedway.

“It is still like an away track to me, to be fair. I know I have had a few meetings and stuff but it is definitely hard.

“I learnt a lot riding the bike here, and I do enjoy it a lot as a track, but it has been tough.

“I am happy with the year and I have ridden pretty well since I have come back.

“I’ll take a month off, do a lot of moto-cross, and then get myself ready for next year.”

Rose secured just three points as Swindon crashed out of the play-offs on Monday night against Belle Vue and he admitted it was a tough night.

“We turned up and walked the track and the track wasn’t the same as it normally is,” he added. “It was hard work from the start and it took away home track advantage.

“It would have been nice to take a couple of early wins and put some pressure on and fight for it a bit, but it didn’t work out.

“The track was difficult and I was quite loose in a few of my rides.

“It was the same for everyone I suppose and Belle Vue were the better team on the night, so fair play to them.”