SWINDON Robins team boss Alun Rossiter hopes that Rohan Tungate carries on feeling the love for the Abbey Stadium track after he starred in his side’s superb victory over Poole Pirates on Monday night.

Rossiter’s troops plucked a display straight from the top drawer to dispatch their rivals and hand their Elite League play-off hopes another crucial shot in the arm, with number four Tungate pivotal to their efforts.

The 26-year-old was in irresistible form as he romped to four wins from four rides, and, with a vital win already wrapped up, he was rewarded with a berth in a fiercely competitive heat 15, where he finished third to round off a 13-point haul.

And Rossiter surmised that Tungate’s sublime display was down to a particularly tumultuous love affair.

“Rohan’s been riding really well but around here; he said that he and the track hated each other but (last night), him and the track fell in love with each other,” said the Swindon chief.

“I’ve got to give credit to the track.

“We’ve had a lot of problems with the track and I’ve got to say that Ronnie (Russell, track curator) got it right and when the track’s like that, it just shows how much our boys can ride it.”

Swindon were at their best throughout in Blunsdon but despite that, they had to withstand a late Pirates resurgence as the visitors roared back to within two points late on.

However, the home side held firm and helped themselves to a deeply satisfying three points.

Rossiter added: “They’ve been our nemesis for a long time and to finally get one over on them, even though they came back at us a bit towards the end; I thought we still had enough in the engine room to win.

“We were cruising at one point but all of a sudden in that heat 13, when Doyley (Jason Doyle) lost a bit of traction and control, they got a 5-1 and full credit to them because they never gave-up.

“They used a tactical and we didn’t, and we still won, so I’m very pleased.”