SWINDON Robins team manager Alun Rossiter had to be content with travelling home from Belle Vue Aces with a losing point as his side suffered defeats on consecutive nights in the SGB Premiership.

After going down 48-45 at home to King’s Lynn Stars on Thursday, Swindon were always going to be up against it to claim an immediate return to winning ways tonight and a point in defeat was about the best they could have hoped for at the National Speedway Stadium.

Rossiter travelled north with just five of his original septet, with Bradley Wilson-Dean ruled out with a wrist injury suffered in a fall against King’s Lynn, while Dany Gappmaier was on SGB Championship duty. Young Brit Matt Williamson was booked as a guest reserve, with rider replacement running for Wilson-Dean.

The Robins actually looked like they might spring a surprise in Manchester as they led after seven races, however, back-to-back 5-1 wins for Belle Vue in heats nine and 10 saw the home side turn the screw building up a lead that they never relinquished.

Swindon skipper Jason Doyle dropped just one point on the night, finishing with 14 but David Bellego was best of the rest with nine, and it was another tough night for Adam Ellis as he scored just three.

“If you asked anybody before we came here would we get a point after last night, they would have laughed at us, so we have to take the positives out of it,” said Rossiter.

“It was close to start with but Belle Vue pulled away in the middle where we had a couple of mistakes. One of them was a mechanical problem after we had a mistake in the pits. Mistakes happen but it’s a little bit costly.

“We only had five of our usual seven riders but I though young Matt Williamson did exceptionally well. He stuck in and was a little bit unlucky not to score a few more points.

“Adam was a bit unlucky. He really should have got at least second place in his last race but his clutch went and that would have made it a little bit different.

“It’s frustrating because when things aren’t going you’re way, it seems like everything is going wrong and that’s what’s happening for Adam at the moment.

The Aces were up and running quickly as Steve Worrall got the drop on Jason Doyle off the line in the opener and Swindon’s hopes of a shared heat were dashed on the final lap when Max Fricke was able to muscle past Zach Wajtknecht.

A stunning start from Belle Vue’s Dan Bewley had him away and clear in the first of the reserves races but the best battle was between the Robins pair behind as guest Williamson snatched second place from Wajtknecht late on.

The home side made it three straight wins in the next as although Swindon’s Ellis had the line into bends one and two, he could not hold on as Kenneth Bjerre swung by on the next corner before going on to a comfortable victory.

Swindon had to wait until heat four to claim their first win and when they did, it was courtesy of a brilliant maximum. Aces reserve Jack Smith gated the best but Nick Morris was not behind for long and when the Belle Vue man went wide on lap three, Wajtknecht nipped through for second.

That was the catalyst the Robins needed as Doyle was brave into the first bend of the next race and it paid off as he squeezed out Bjerre before extending his lead until the flag, with the visitors opening up a 16-14 lead.

The Aces got back to winning ways in heat six as despite Morris nailing the start, Fricke began to fly and zoomed by at the end of lap one, with the young Robin unable to reel him back in before the finish.

Ellis and Worrall were neck-and-neck into the first bend of the next race but Swindon’s David Bellego appeared from nowhere to pass both out wide on bend three and leave the rest in his wake for a stunning victory.

There was a sloppy start for the Swindon pair in eight but Bellego was able to split Belle Vue’s Worrall and Bewley on the top bend to limit the damage.

With the scores level, Belle Vue began to make a decisive move in nine with back-to-back maximums. Firstly, Morris’ stutter out of the gate was costly for the Robins as Bjerre and Justin Sedgmen romped clear before Fricke led home Worrall in the next as the home side moved 34-26 ahead.

Doyle was able to end the visitors’ four-race losing run with a fine victory in 11 but their hopes of a heat advantage were scuppered when Bewley passed Williamson on lap three.

There was a disaster for Swindon in the next race as Ellis’ bike packed up on the start line, allowing Bjerre to romp clear out front, while Wajtknecht just held off a dive from Smith for the chequered flag to deny Belle Vue another 5-1 win.

Swindon pulled off a big result in heat 13 with a vital maximum victory. Doyle nailed the start and Morris had the mettle to muscle past Cook to give his side’s chances a shot in the arm.

The visitors needed a heat advantage in the penultimate race to give themselves any chance of overall victory in the finale and although Bellego got off to a superb start, Williamson could not make an impression at the back as a 3-3 draw was enough to hand the Aces the spoils.

Although Doyle was able to finish with a flourish with his fourth win in five races in the final heat, Swindon’s night was summed up as Morris’ bike packed up on the very last bend.

Ellis moves on to contest one of three World U21 World Championship qualifying semi finals in Eskilstuna in Sweden tomorrow night.