KING’S Lynn boss Dale Allitt admitted it was a ‘difficult night’ for his side at Poole.
Allitt saw his side slip to a 58-32 defeat in Dorset and admitted they ran out of steam as bumps and bruises took their toll.
Michael Palm Toft was recalled to Denmark late in the day and Aussie ace Ty Proctor failed a fitness test in the morning which left the Tru Plant Stars on the back foot.
On the positive side, classy Danish ace Niels-Kristian Iversen made his return to the side after treatment on his troublesome shoulder.
Said Allitt: “Firstly we want to thank the fans for their support, the whole team appreciate it, it’s a long journey.
“It was a difficult night for the boys. Some of them were battered and bruised but should be OK for Monday when we face Rye House at home. That’s an important meeting for us now and we need the fans to back us in big numbers.”
Robert Lambert, the newly crowned British champion, continued his sizzling form with a string of race wins.
But King’s Lynn made a nightmare start and were missing the gate too often – they were 10-2 down after the opening two heats.
And when Nicolai Klindt made a fast start for Poole in heat 3 to outpace Thomas Jorgensen they completed a 4-2 and had a 10-point lead which, even at the early stages, was always going to be tough to overhaul.
But with Lambert sparkling, boss Allitt rolled the dice by bringing him in as a tactical substitute in place of the injured Proctor – and he pulled off a breathtaking ride to partner Thomas Jorgensen for a 5-1 which brought Stars back into the meeting at 23-19.
Lewis Kerr came to grief in a nasty spill at the start of Heat 11 and his exclusion ended any lingering hopes of a Stars revival. Poole duly delivered a 5-1 in the rerun.
Lambert was beaten for the first time in Heat 13 when Richie Worrall denied him and Iversen with a stunning ride.
Lynn’s disappointment was compounded by a Poole 5-1 in the last thanks to Linus Sundstrom and Worrall over Jorgensen and Lambert.
Now Stars are faced with the challenge of bouncing back on Monday when they will be back to full strength. Lambert will be given a lap of honour as the new British Champion and the club are producing a limited edition Lambert souvenir programme to mark the achievement.
