Wolves are dealt another play-off blow

Patched-up Wolverhampton saw their play-off hopes dealt another crushing blow as they slumped to a 46-44 defeat against Lakeside at Monmore Green.moreWithout Tai Woffinden and Ty Proctor, Wolves suffered a last-gasp defeat which all but ends their top four chances last night.

In a clash described by boss Peter Adams as "must win", a series of mistakes and dropped points eventually proved costly as their disappointing month continued.

The hosts saw their night get off to the worst possible start as they conceded a 5-1 in heat one – yet they soon battled back to open up a four-point advantage after four races.

However, they threw away points as Chris Harris fell from third place in heat five and Jacob Thorssell was overtaken by Mikkel Bech on the final bend of heat six.

Lakeside duly capitalised with a huge maximum to move back onto level terms – and although Wolves briefly recaptured the lead they saw key man Piotr Pawlicki suffer a costly blown engine in heat 11.

Forced to jump onto his spare bike, Pawlicki and Harris conceded a 5-1 in heat 13 as Wolves slumped to a hugely disappointing loss.

Polish ace Pawlicki had been in flying form early on and did recover to win heat 15 as he put in another strong showing.

Ricky Wells also impressed with a determined performance as he notched three impressive wins to top score for the home side.

Down at reserve, Joe Jacobs bolstered the lower order with a gusty displa.

Swedish star Jacob Thorssell was also good value for his 6+2 – winning his last ride with a spectacular blast around Davey Watt as he performed well from the tough No.3 spot.

However, Harris endured a nightmare night guesting for Woffinden, falling in his opening two rides.

Max Fricke fought hard yet also struggled early on with some slow starting, and with Tom Perry earning little reward for his efforts at reserve Wolves suffered a disheartening defeat.

By Rich Jones