SWINDON fell agonisingly short of a spectacular comeback as they slipped to a 48-44 defeat against Belle Vue at Kirkmanshulme Lane.

Having fallen 11 points behind early on, the Robins were always playing catch-up - but they fought back bravely to force a last heat decider.

They unfortunately fell just short of what would have been a memorable victory although they did leave with a well-deserved consolation point.

With play-off rivals Eastbourne suffering a heavy defeat at Poole, it was a night which saw Swindon's play-off push given another boost.

And boss Alun Rossiter was pleased his side were not left empty handed after their recovery from a slow start.

Said Rossiter: "We knew it was going to be tough because Belle Vue are a good side who are capable of performing really well on their day.

"Their heatleaders were all going well and after falling behind like we did early on we were pleased to come away with a point.

"It was a true captain's performance from Troy (Batchelor) which stole the show. He really was brilliant and his performance made sure we didn't come away empty handed."

Skipper Troy Batchelor led the Robins in fine style, racing to a 17 point haul including a tactical ride win to help catapult his side back into contention in heat six.

He received solid support from fellow Aussies Dakota North and Nick Morris, both of whom recorded race wins as they added vital contributions.

Reserve Steve Worrall also recovered from a nightmare start to add an excellent 8+1 including a composed race win in heat 14 alongside North to keep Swindon's hopes alive.

However, Simon Gustafsson and Peter Kildemand both endured tough nights from the heat-leader positions as the Robins fell just short of a fifth consecutive win.

BELLE VUE 48: Scott Nicholls 10+2, Craig Cook 9+2, Matej Zagar 9+1, Richie Worrall 6, Max Fricke 5+1, Oliver Greenwood 5, Lee Payne 4+1.

SWINDON 44: Troy Batchelor 17, Steve Worrall 8+1, Dakota North 6+1, Nick Morris 6, Simon Gustafsson 3+1, Peter Kildemand 2, Nathan Greaves 2.

Elite League points: Belle Vue 2 Swindon 1