SWINDON Robins put a nightmare week off the track behind them to secure all three points in an impressive victory over Leicester Lions at the Abbey Stadium last night.

It was the first meeting for Swindon since number one Darcy Ward’s horror crash in Poland on Sunday.

Team boss Alun Rossiter praised the courage of his side to get back onto the track and deliver an impressive performance for the home fans.

Grzegorz Zengota continued his impressive second half of the season as he bagged 13+1 points, only being denied a paid maximum by Jason Doyle in heat 15, as he helped Swindon to a solid victory to leave them needing just one more win to secure a place in the Elite League play-offs.

“It was a good victory in the circumstances and it was a professional job done by the boys tonight,” said Rossiter.

“I am really proud of them all because that was hard, even for the away team.

“Greg has been like that all season, he has been on fire and his contribution was outstanding.

“It was another eight points for Aaron (Summers). His plug went in the first one and I thought there was something seriously wrong for him to be that far behind.

“At the start it is very hard. We have got to move forward.

“Realistically, if we stop tomorrow I don’t think anybody would complain, but we can’t do that, we are in a business.

“The riders do understand the risks they take and maybe this will just bring that home to a lot of other people as well, and they might respect the riders a little bit more when a rider of Darcy’s calibre has an accident like this.

“Don’t let how much he has lifted the club be in vain. Let’s go and keep doing a professional job and I have to take my hats off to them all tonight.”

Coventry Bees captain Chris Harris was booked to fill the void left by Ward at number one but it was the worst possible start for the hosts as Doyle and Sam Masters combined to secure a maximum in the first heat, although that was soon wiped out by the Aussie duo of Nick Morris and Troy Batchelor in heat three.

Zengota’s first win of the evening in heat four, when he led by a distance, then gave Swindon a lead that they were never going to relinquish.

Summers got a good start in heat five and just did enough to keep Masters behind him, with Steve Worrall falling going into the first bend of the second lap.

Zengota and Morris both got out of the gates well in heat six but the Aussie just couldn’t do enough to keep Doyle behind him, being taken out of bend four of the first lap, with Piotr Swiderski, who failed to score a point all evening, retiring.

In heat nine Szymon Wozniak started well along with Worrall, who was in to replace Oliver Greenwood, but Summers was able to claw back second place and pushed the Pole all the way as the deficit was reduced to four.

Summers was out of the traps quickly in heat 11 and Harris looked to be struggling at the back before reeling in Swiderski, who failed to finish again, and Grzegorz Walasek for a maximum to stretch Swindon’s lead to 10 points.

Shared points in heats 12 and 13 all but wrapped up the home victory, before Morris and Zengota combined for a maximum in heat 14 to put the tie to bed.

After Morris fell on the first lap of heat 15, Doyle was able to deny Zengota a paid maximum when the Pole went too deep into the second bend to hand the Aussie the win.

Rossiter was delighted with his team’s success, but has again called for patience from fans asking to know more about Ward’s injury.

“I am a little bit frustrated by the people wanting to know everything,” he added.

“We have just got to respect the family now and let Darcy get on with it.

“Speaking to the riders, people on social media are wanting to know everything.

“It takes time. If you break your arm it takes six weeks.

“We are just hoping and praying that everything is going to be good, but it is going to come in good time and people have got to realise that.”