SWINDON have been left with a mountain to climb to continue in this season’s Knockout Cup after a thumping 62-28 defeat against Poole at the Abbey Stadium.

The Robins will now have to produce the performance of the season in next week’s second leg at Wimborne Road if they are to face either Wolverhampton or Eastbourne in the semi-finals.

Track conditions were difficult after all the rain that had fallen during the day, but the Elite League leaders were in stunning form leaving Jesper B Monberg as the only home rider to win a race when he took the chequered flag in Heat 14.

SWINDON 28: Jesper B Monberg 10, Simon Stead 9, Cory Gathercole 5+1, Scott Nicholls 3, James Wright 1+1, Justin Sedgmen 0, Nicolai Klindt R/R

POOLE 62: Chris Holder 15, Darcy Ward 13+2, Davey Watt 8+1, Jason Doyle 8, Dennis Andersson 7+1, Claus Vissing 6, Renat Gafurov 5+1

NOTE: This was Swindon’s second worst home loss of all-time in an official match, their 34-point margin of defeat only surpassed by Oxford’s 35-point margin of success in a 56-21 win at the Abbey in a British League encounter on 11 October 1986. When expanding that to challenge matches, the Robins lost by a whopping 43-point margin when going down 63-20 to Plymouth on 27 August 1949. And, on 1 October 1955, they lost by a 38-point margin when Wembley claimed a 67-29 victory.