SWINDON Robins team manager Alun Rossiter admits there is room for improvement from his septet ahead of the new season.

With the fixture list having been announced on Tuesday, it won’t be long before the Robins are taking to the tapes at the Abbey Stadium to start their season against Belle Vue Aces.

The team building process has been far from smooth over the winter, with averages proving to be the main cause for concern.

With skipper Jason Doyle taking up a large chunk of their 50-point allowance, the highest ranked rider in the league on a team-building average of 13.41, Rossiter was forced to be shrewd with the remainder of his team.

However, the club were caught out when Danish youngster Mikkel Brondum Andersen was given a higher than expected average of 7.00, forcing the Robins to replace him with Kiwi Bradley Wilson-Dean.

Rossiter’s side head into the 2017 campaign with just Nick Morris (8.97) and David Bellego (7.63) alongside Doyle with averages on higher than seven but the Abbey chief believes that just leaves room for the team to get stronger.

“The winter recruitment has been okay.” he said."You look at it and I feel comfortable.

“Obviously we are looking at riders to improve, which I think they are more than capable of doing.

“Everyone will always say that I can make changes but it won’t be that easy making changes once the season is under way.

“It’s an opportunity for these riders to put their marker down and show me what they can do.

“I have shown faith in signing them. I am sure there are still a few doubters out there, let’s go and prove them wrong. They all seem very keen and up for it.”

Doyle and Morris are the only riders to remain from last year’s team that failed to make it to the play-offs as the Robins finished level on points with fourth-placed Lakeside Hammers, missing out on the season finale on points difference.

It is the second winter in succession that Rossiter has rung the changes and while he would like to see some permanency to his side, for the sake of the fans, he knows that the changes in the sport have forced his hand.

“I do like a bit of continuity in the riders because supporters complain that they can’t get an affinity to the riders,” he added.

“We have still got Jason and Nick back in the side and it is another chance for other riders to become stars. Adam Ellis is in for a big year and I hope David Bellego is too.”