BELLE VUE Colts captain Freddy Hodder believes his side can “finish the season strongly” after a first win.
The Manchester side beat Middlesbrough 46-43 to finally get a victory in the National Development League at the National Speedway Stadium.
It came at a cost with Jack Kingston suffering multiple injuries after being hit by Kai Ward’s bike in heat 9. It means that the Colts have failed to finish any meeting with a full strength side.
Hodder said: “It was a shame we lost Jack. We hope he makes a speedy recovery. He was having a good meeting and helped us get in control of the meeting.
“Harry (Fletcher) rode great but unfortunately had bike problems.
“I think with a full strength side we look very competitive and we can now finish the season strongly.”
Will Cairns and Hodder were the strong spearhead but there were excellent performances from Jack Shimelt, Mason Watson and Harry Fletcher - the latter suffering mechanical issues twice while leading races.
Cairns added: “Ace is going well at the minute and he ruined my maximum which I’m a bit annoyed about. He just had the track figured out and made good starts.
“I think we all came into today’s meeting thinking that we could win.
“When we lost Jack our morale definitely went down a bit. Luckily we stayed strong and got the job done. Everyone chipped in and we managed to pull it off.
“I think we were seven points up and we had a 5-1 against us. Going out for heat 13 the pressure was on a bit. Ace made a ripper of a start and got to the dirt before us all and he was gone.”
Team bosses Steve Williams and Graham Gordon want to finish the season in style after a torrid few months.
Williams said: “The win has been a long time coming. We send our best wishes to Jack because he’s been a revelation since signing.
“Jack Shimelt had a great meeting, all the boys dug deep. Like anything, confidence is the key. Jack and Harry really pushed on today. They know what they are capable of doing.”
WSRA NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE
BELLE VUE 46: Will Cairns 13, Freddy Hodder 10+2, Jack Shimelt 8+1, Mason Watson 8, Harry Fletcher 4+1, Jack Kingston 2+1, Billy Budd 1+1.
MIDDLESBROUGH 43: Ace Pijper 17, Charlie Southwick 7+2, Stene Pijper 6+1, Jamie Halder 6, Kai Ward 5, Elliot Kelly 2, Tom Spencer r/r.