WELCOME to the latest news from the Elite League, featuring items on all nine competing teams.
This week’s bulletin includes soundbite from Alun Rossiter on the away win at Belle Vue.
BELLE VUE manager Chris Morton said there were no excuses after the Aces lost their unbeaten home tag with a shock defeat at the hands of Swindon.
Morton said: "We were poor overall and we paid for basic mistakes. The falls suffered by [Joe] Screen and [Charlie] Gjedde certainly didn’t help, but we were beaten by a team who were really determined to do well.
"We were let down by the riders who had done so well for us at home this season and it has left me a bit lost for words. But you cannot win matches when two of the riders in the main body of the team score 4 each and another only gets 5."
COVENTRY manager Peter Oakes says that a week off comes at a good time for the reigning Champions, who overcame Poole in a close contest at home last Friday with both Rory Schlein and Olly Allen riding through the pain barrier after recent crashes.
Oakes said: "We've had a fairly busy and hectic opening to the season, so it's good to give people the chance to re-charge their batteries and sort out a few problems, and at least we go into the break off the back of a good result.
"Rather like Swindon last year, I think Poole have got the best line-up in the Elite League, so to beat them, and a little more convincingly than the final score suggested, showed tremendous character."
EASTBOURNE star Scott Nicholls proved his fitness ahead of the Slovenian Grand Prix with a paid-13 return for the Eagles after three weeks out with a hand injury.
Nicholls said: "In the first few races I eased myself in a little bit, seeing how the hand and wrist would hold up. But as the meeting went on my confidence grew.
"I wanted to stop Jason's [Crump] maximum in the last one and more importantly I wanted to go home with a good win so I was happy in the end, and we had a fantastic result. Jason was on fire all night so for me to beat him was a pretty big achievement."
IPSWICH manager Pete Simmons intends to change his riding order after the Witches threw away another lead at the half-way stage of their match at Peterborough to go down by 8 points and remain bottom of the table.
Simmons said: "We have ridden four Elite League matches this season and have led in each meeting, yet failed to win any. We rode well during the first half of the meeting tonight, but then made some mistakes at crucial times to allow Peterborough back into the meeting.
"We now move on to Thursday’s clash with Eastbourne at Foxhall, where we will be changing the pairings around in an attempt to be stronger towards the end of meetings."
LAKESIDE boss Jon Cook said it was an all-round effort which secured the Hammers their first away win of their Elite League campaign - an impressive 49-41 result at Wolverhampton.
Cook said: "The lads adapted quickly and professionally to the track conditions, and credit for the win must go to a solid team performance
"Once again, when one rider slipped up, another team-mate stepped up to the plate and put in a hero's performance. They gave me the ability to use a tactical strategy to help us win."
PETERBOROUGH manager Trevor Swales has sounded a warning to members of the Panthers side who have struggled to live up to their potential so far this season.
Swales said: "I want to see riders really upset when they fail to win a race, but that is not always the case. I absolutely hate losing and they should feel the same way.
"Given that the Elite League is not as strong as it has been in previous years all of the riders should have gone forward, but we have some going the other way. That can't be tolerated and certain guys have got to perform better than they have been doing."
POOLE captain Bjarne Pedersen believes Poole can overcome Coventry over two legs in the forthcoming Craven Shield semi-final.
Pedersen, who scored a maximum in the Pirates' narrow Elite League defeat at Brandon, said: "With a bit of luck, we should have everyone back fully fit before the semi-final and I think it will lift the whole team when we have our own seven riders again.
"We really need some away wins and when we are a full team it will take the pressure off Karol [Zabik]. He is young and just needs to get his head right, get on the bike, get a few wins and he will be back on track."
SWINDON boss Alun Rossiter saluted his unfancied team after a second away win of the season at Belle Vue on Monday.
Rossiter said: "We have worked hard on the starts and talked about how important it is to get a good one. That was the difference.
"We knew it would be slick out there so we knew we had to get a good start and, if we could, we would win. But more than anything tonight was about the team. It was a real team effort, a real seven-rider win."
WOLVERHAMPTON’S maximum man Niels-Kristian Iversen had mixed feelings after the 49-41 home defeat by Lakeside in front of the Sky Sports cameras.
Iversen romped to a 15-point haul, but the rest of the team failed to deliver the goods.
He said: “I’m very happy with my first maximum for Wolverhampton, but, at the same time, it’s very disappointing for us to lose at home like this. We need to win away from home, we have put ourselves under pressure.”
