SWINDON Robins team manager Alun Rossiter heralded his side’s battling performance at Monmore Green as they came from 10 points down to rescue an SGB Premiership point away against Wolverhampton Wolves on Monday night.

With the score at 35-25 after heat 10, Rossiter’s troops fought back valiantly, before going down 48-42, to claim just their second league point on the road this term.

A captain’s performance from Jason Doyle (12+1) led the Robins to within four points of Wolves ahead of heat 14, but a drawn race – followed by the home side’s first heat advantage since heat eight in the finale – meant Swindon were forced to leave Monmore with just a consolation point to their name.

Rossiter had previously warned his side that they must start picking up rewards for the efforts on the road if they are to reach the end-of-season play-offs, and the team manager felt his riders took his advice on board in their spirited defeat.

He said: “I think we deserved a point. It was a tough meeting – the track was smooth, but very slick.

“One and three were certainly the best gates and, to be honest, you might as well not bother putting anyone off gate four, but it’s the same for everybody and it evens itself out.

“It was a good, battling performance, I thought.

“It was always going to be a big ask at the end, especially going off gates two and four.

“The message was: ‘If you don’t make it, get a second’. But again, Jason Doyle tried to go big and Rory Schlein got rather close to him.

“It was a bit of a breathe-in job, but he did it again and fair play to him.”

And while Rossiter believed all of his troops did everything they could to make the best out of a slick track, the team manager could not hide his disappointment at the state of gate four come the end of proceedings.

With a 5-1 win required in the last heat to snatch a tied meeting for the Robins, Rossiter sent out his two form men of the night – Doyle and Rasmus Jensen – in an effort to perform last-heat heroics.

However, the Swindon chief was informed post-race that his Danish star had little chance of joining Doyle near the front.

Discussing his side’s individual performances, Rossiter said: “Danny Ayres was unlucky. At least he got in good positions, he was just a bit unfortunate.

“Ellis Perks rode hard, but it was very slick tonight and Rasmus Jensen had a good one. Adam Ellis came good at the end.

“It was a bit of a lottery at the end. Gates one, two and three were good, but four was non-existent at the end.

“Poor Rasmus came in and said: ‘You might as well not bother putting anybody in’.”