ALUN Rossiter has no qualms over his Swindon Robins side facing the other three 2015 play-off teams in the opening week of the new campaign.

The Elite League fixtures, unveiled yesterday, pitched Rossiter’s line-up straight into back-to-back league meetings with champions Poole Pirates, on Good Friday (March 25) on the south coast followed by Easter Sunday at Blunsdon.

Beaten semi-finalists Coventry Bees follow the Pirates to Blunsdon on Thursday, March 31, with the Robins making the long trek north to face their 2015 semi-final conquerors Belle Vue Aces in their new stadium a day later.

It all adds up to a potentially tricky start for the Abbey Stadium men, but Rossiter is nothing but optimistic as preparations for a renewed assault on the title they last won back in 2012 continue.

The Robins started last season with a home clash against Poole that they lost 47-33, but the team boss said: “It’s always a good way to pitch yourself in.

“Poole are always the ones in the mix and their record speaks for itself.

“We go to a new track early (Belle Vue) and we have good riders who can ride any track now.

“They (Belle Vue) will be getting used to their new track, as we will be later in the summer, so it might be good to take a look at that early on.

“I always believe in my team, but I think there is a lot more optimism about the team we have for this year.

“It (the team) has gone down very well with the supporters. With that comes expectation. Before, perhaps we’ve gone under the radar a little bit but I’m really happy with the way we’re set up this year.

“What I like is the balance we have got all the way down the team.”

Another relief for Rossiter is the lack of fixture congestion, with only around three matches clashing with Charles Wright’s commitments with Premier League outfit Somerset.