Lakeside Hammers V Swindon Robins Ela 28 March

[E I Addio]

Good fightback from the Robins to get a point, excellent from Killer, true number 1 performance. Gusto will go better at Blunsdon(I hope). Early days yet, but in recent meetings Swindon have won at Lakeside a few time

 

The "fight-back" from 11 points down after heat 9 consisted of 5-1's in heats 10 and 13 where the off form Peter Karlsson was riding and heat 13 where one would normally expect to see him ride. A couple of third places from Karlsson from these three rides would have sealed the match for Lakeside. Of heats 11, 12 and 14 Swindon had a 5-1 against and two 3-3's , one of which was gifted when Adam Ellis had engine failure while in a comfortable third.

 

So really the fight-back, was really all down to Kildemand, who really did look world class in his last few rides, and Batch, who got going towards the end. It seems to me that the Robins side really breaks down into three parts. At the top you have Klidemand and Batch whom are likely to be good everywhere they go and will probably get better as the season moves along, then in the middle there is Morris whose brains are in his throttle hand and then Klindt and Gustafsson who must both be regarded as being on probation, and one or both may well be dropped before the end of the season if they don't improve. If either of them could really get on the pace Swindon would be a real threat for the play-off's.

 

 

I think teams are likely to find it hard to win at the "Arena" and it would be nice to go through a season unbeaton at home, my man of match would be Richard Lawson, amazing to think a year ago i was concerned about his signing as a historically large track rider but he has taken to our track so well, maybe its in the blood? his dad always seemed to love our track when visiting back in his Glasgow days.

Even more amazing to think that even at the start of the match nobody would have believed he would be swapping places with Peter Kildemand and coming out on top.

 

That might be said with the pessimism of a Hammers fan (and you were there, I wasn't) but I think you are wrong. The fact that you only just squeezed home was about the performance of one rider, and all the others could be satisfied with their performances - in the case of Lawson, Bech, Morley & Ellis, more than satisfied.

 

You have certainly one of the best EL newcomers in Bech and one of the better reserve pairings, so its very far very a black outlook.

 

PK is one of the most reliable and consistent EL riders and I have little doubt that this was just a one off.

 

 

Maybe , but with the way the league is structured Swindon are one of the teams Lakeside would need to take all 3 points from.