SWINDON ROBINS: Pole star praised after resilient Robins hold Lakeside (From Swindon Advertiser)

SWINDON ROBINS: Pole star praised after resilient Robins hold Lakeside

7:30am Saturday 4th September 2010 in

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RONNIE Russell lavished praise on his depleted Swindon side and Maciej Janowski in particular, after the Robins gave a manful display to secure a terrific 45-45 draw at Lakeside last night.

Against a team who had previously only failed to win once at home in the Elite League all season, Swindon, who were without Simon Stead and Mads Korneliussen, emphatically answered all the questions that were asked of them.

Captain Leigh Adams led the way with a haul of paid 15, but it was recent signing Janowski, in his first away meeting in Britain, who was the main talking point for spectators at the Arena-Essex Raceway.

The circuit is much tighter than the big tracks many Poles are used to back in their homeland, and some youngsters find it difficult to adapt, but Janowski last night proved himself an exception.

And team boss Russell was delighted with the 19-year-old’s display, saying: “If I’m going to give special mention it must go to Janowski who had never seen the track in his life before, but he was incredible.

“Poles aren’t supposed to be able to ride Lakeside at all and lo and behold we got a class performance.

“It was a great result and a great effort from the team. Just incredible, there’s nothing else I can say about it.”

With Stead ruled out through illness and Korneliussen racing in a rearranged fixture in Denmark, Swindon were hamstrung from the off last night.

Rider replacement was used in the absence of Stead while Rye House National League rider Marc Owen, who only celebrated his 16th birthday last month, was thrown in at the deep end.

Owen was given a dream opening heat with Blunsdon legend Adams and the former staved off the attentions of Robins asset Lee Richardson to take the win, with Owen last behind Peter Ljung.

Justin Sedgmen won the reserves’ battle from the gate but received little support from Morten Risager, before Janowski collected two creditable points in his first ever contest around the Arena-Essex Raceway.

Janowski’s fellow countryman, Grzegorz Zengota, certainly found the circuit not to his liking as he fell in the same heat, before the former showed him how it was done with a terrific victory over the experienced Adam Shields in race four.

After Davidsson saw off Adams, the fine work of Sedgmen continued next as he profited from Richardson’s retirement through clutch problems, to hold off Ljung and take his second win in two races.

A 5-1 maximum for Zengota and Janowski was stopped when Shields passed both Poles, and then a bizarre scenario ensued in heat eight.

Referee Jim McGregor restarted the race as he was unaware Sedgmen had been brought in for Owen, but in the re-run the former’s winning run was ended as he trailed at the back.

With the score at 25-23 in the hosts’ favour, Adams zipped round to take two wins in three races, but Swindon remained two points behind as Zengota and Janowski managed a 3-3 in between.

A nerve-wracking final three heats was set up when the points were shared in race 12, but the Hammers looked as if they were heading for victory after opening out a four-point lead following heat 13.

Richardson beat Adams and Shields dished out the same treatment to Sedgmen, but the hosts were far from home and dry.

Of all people, it was the much-criticised Risager who led in a 5-1 that was as stunning as it was unlikely in race 14 with Janowski in tow, and suddenly the meeting was heading for a final heat decider.

Russell threw Janowski into the final race and the Pole repaid his manager’s faith with a second-placed finish behind Richardson, while Adams kept Shields behind him to help Swindon to two away points.

Elsewhere in the Elite League last night, Coventry shocked hosts Peterborough 46-44.