RUNNING at a loss seems inevitable for Swindon Speedway this season, even if the club manages to reach the coveted SGB Premiership Grand Final for a third time in eight years.

Currently fourth in the table, Alun Rossiter’s Robins stand a strong chance of reaching this year’s end-of-season play-offs with 10 fixtures – four home, six away – remaining.

The traditionally popular August period will see the Robins race all four of their remaining Premiership home ties, with Wolverhampton, Poole, Ipswich and Peterborough set to visit the Abbey.

And while club chairman Terry Russell expects a boom in attendances throughout the next month, the Robins chief accepted it’s unlikely that money from the turnstiles will turn around the club’s financial position for the year.

He said: “Play-off speedway isn’t the difference between making money or losing money, it’s the difference between losing less.

“Making the play-offs has a huge impact on the club financially. When we put our accounts in last year, the difference in turnover was different.

“It’s not even the semi-final that impacts finances, it’s the final. It does make a huge difference.

“We have a couple of opportunities for strong crowds to see out the year with the Supporters’ Cup final and hopefully the play-off final too.”

To take advantage of the school holidays, the club last week confirmed family tickets covering three of the Robins’ home meetings on August 8, 26 and 29 (against Wolverhampton, Poole and Peterborough) are available for £30.

The offer will grant two adults and two children – or one adult and three children – admission to all three meetings as the club aims to attract the younger generation to the all-action sport amid their search for a play-off spot.

The move is ultimately part of Russell’s plan to leave the club in a suitable financial state when his time as club chairman ends.

He explained: “One would like to think I could get the club into a position where I can leave it in the hands of Rosco (Alun Rossiter, team manager) and Lee (Kilby).

“That’s the goal. It will have to be financially stable for the boys to be able to do it, and that’s down to the sport more than anything.

“Crowds have been steady, they picked up a bit when Belle Vue raced for the first meeting of the school summer holidays.

“It’s a shame we were closed last week, but we’re back on track this Thursday before another lull, which is unfortunate.”

Swindon return to action on Thursday when hosting Wolverhampton Wolves.