Peterborough 46 Wolverhampton 44

PETERBOROUGH kept their Elite League play-off hopes alive with a narrow home victory against Wolverhampton on Thursday evening.

But the Readypower Panthers had to overcome difficult track conditions and a brave Wolves side before running out eventual winners.

After a sluggish start, they found themselves six-points behind after two races, but they gradually picked away at the Midland side’s lead - with Linus Sundstrom and Norbert Kosciuch snatching last bend victories in Heats 3 and 4 - helping to reduce the gap to a slender two-points.

Krzysztof Buczkowski and Richard Lawson did finally level things up in Heat 7, but Wolverhampton quickly responded to go ahead again with a 4-2 in heat 8.

With time running out, Kenneth Bjerre and the excellent Buczkowski raced clear to a comprehensive 5-1 in Heat 13 to reverse the two-point deficit in their favour.

Sundstrom and Kosciuch then looked to have sealed the victory when they were on maximum points in the penultimate race, but first Thomas Jorgensen passed Kosciuch and then the Pole fell – and the match was to go to a last-race decider.

When the tapes rose in the finale Lindgren led from tapes-to-flag, but Bjerre and Buczkowski comfortably kept Robert Miskowiak at the back and the ensuing 3-3 was enough to send the Showground faithful home happy

After the meeting, skipper Bjerre said: “I am happy that we won the meeting. After the way we started it was pretty tough, so at least we got the win.

“We would have liked to get all three points, and it would have helped our play off chances if we got all the points, but in the end the main thing is we won.”

PETERBOROUGH 46: Krzysztof Buczkowski 11+1, Norbert Kosciuch 10+2, Kenneth Bjerre 9+1, Linus Sundstrom 7+1, Michael Jepsen Jensen 7, Olly Allen 1, Richard Lawson 1.

WOLVERHAMPTON 44: Fredrik Lindgren 12, Robert Miskowiak 10, Tai Woffinden 7, Ty Proctor 6+1, Thomas Jorgensen 6, Kenny Ingalls 3+2