Wolves 47 Lakeside 43

Wolves plucked out a win that keeps their slim play-off hopes alive – and will go down in the club’s annals.

Bereft of star turn Freddie Lindgren after his heat one horror crash and with James Grieves laid low by a virus, they were there for the taking last night.

But Lakeside – with unsettling injury worries of their own – could never quite put the meeting away and a late flourish from Wolves snatched the spoils.

The obvious heroes were captain Peter Karlsson, who dropped a single point in five rides, and Tai Woffinden who had a hat-trick of wins.

But Ty Proctor, who has been threatening a return to form, found it with perfect timing and was the fast and aggressive racer Wolves fans first took to their hearts.

Ricky Wells did his job in limiting the scoring of Lakeside’s possible trump card, Kim Nilsson, but it was Tyson Burmeister’s paid 10 which was just enough to tip the scales.

The American is picking up occasional bookings elsewhere and the experience has accelerated his progress.

Wells would not have been flattered by a higher score, losing points in heat 12 when going too deep into the third turn and, five races earlier, when he and Karlsson failed to get their team riding radar synchronised.

Wolves looked out of it at two points down with three heats to go. Although Karlsson reeled off another immaculate victory, Wells’ attempted burst round Ben Barker on the last bend found Richardson dawdling deliberately – and dangerously – under his wheels on the run to the line.

But payback time was approaching in the penultimate race when Woffinden and Burmeister hit the front.

Woffinden shrewdly realised the best thing he could offer his team-mate was clear track, and put distance between the two. He then pointed to the inside line and dropped gradually back to act as cover for the final lap – team riding of great maturity.

Suddenly, Wolves had the edge and Karlsson was never going to let the hard-chasing Richardson through in the last, Woffinden taking third place to round off the win in style.

This is a team with plenty of weaknesses – but don’t ever knock their character.

By Tim Hamblin