PETERBOROUGH took a league point from a 44-46 defeat at Swindon on Monday – having come so close to completing a remarkable comeback.
With Charles Wright outstanding and Bradley Wilson-Dean starring at reserve, the Crendon Panthers fought back from 25-35 down to take the meeting into a last-heat decider against a nervous home side.
In the end, guest No.1 Brady Kurtz prevailed for the Robins whilst Panthers were left to rue mechanical issues for their top two riders as they just missed out on a notable win.
By the time of Heat 11, Hans Andersen and Rohan Tungate had scored just three points, with Tungate failing to finish two of his three rides.
Andersen, meanwhile, had been frustrated by the events of Heat 5 when he was duelling strongly with Tobiasz Musielak only for Wilson-Dean’s fall to cause the race to be stopped and awarded in Swindon’s favour at the halfway stage.
That was the first of two successive Robins’ 5-1s and they opened the gap up to ten points – but Wright won Heats 8, 10 and 11 in a stunning individual display.
The latter was as a tactical substitute with Andersen in close attendance for a 5-1, meaning Panthers went into the closing stages six points adrift.
Andersen then hit trouble prior to Heat 13 and touched the tapes to at least allow a reserve to take his place, whereupon Tungate blitzed the field to get the better of Kurtz and Troy Batchelor.
Panthers then had a big break as the previously unbeaten Adam Ellis was penalised at the start of Heat 14, with Wilson-Dean and Wright taking full advantage to cut the gap to just two points.
But there was no fairytale finale as although Wright and Tungate kept Musielak at the rear of Heat 15, Kurtz raced off to secure the victory for his adopted side.
Panthers boss Carl Johnson said: “From the position we were in mid-meeting, a point is brilliant, and we do always look to take a point and anything more is a bonus.
“We had bad luck again, or however you want to put it with bike issues and whatever, and without that we could have won the meeting, and that’s the annoying thing. We’re that close.
“Charles was brilliant, especially after his first ride, he was by far the best rider on show, but overall we’re just lacking that consistency at the moment. We’re enjoying our speedway, but we know what we need to put right.”
Panthers return to action at the East of England Arena when they face Belle Vue in the first of two home matches in the space of five days.
SWINDON 46: Brady Kurtz 13, Adam Ellis 10, Troy Batchelor 7+1, Dawid Lampart 6+2, Tobiasz Musielak 6+1, James Shanes 2+2, Zach Wajtknecht 2. PETERBOROUGH 44: Charles Wright 16+2, Bradley Wilson-Dean 10, Rohan Tungate 6+1, Ben Barker 5+1, Aaron Summers 4+1, Hans Andersen 3+1, Lasse Bjerre r/r.