It's a fortress at Wolves speedway

Wolves 50 Coventry 40

Wolves' Monmore Green stadium remains an impregnable fortress - albeit one with a few more chips gouged out of the battlements.

Home colours were last lowered on 15 September 2008 when Ipswich stormed the ramparts with a 12-point win.

And but for a turn of fortune here and an inspired ride there, the old enemy from down the M6 might well have taken the spoils last night.

All looked well after a brace of dominant 5-1 Wolves victories opened the meeting. But after a further dozen heats of tense and absorbing racing on a track with plenty of grip, those eight points constituted the margin going into the final race.

Wolves needed parity to take all three league points on offer, and many a home fan must have experienced that heart in the mouth sensation when Fredrik Lindgren and Edward Kennett locked horns in the first turn, the Bee clattering into the safety fence.

All four back looked the most likely verdict - and ultimately that was referee Darren Hartley's view - but Lindgren had certainly been hard on his rival and a red exclusion light was by no means out of the question.

Coventry's frustrations were heightened by the fact that Chris Harris - who had already underlined his customary Monmore form with a consummate third to first in heat four - had made the best start.

But the rerun saw Lindgren away from the pursuing Harris while Tai Woffinden beat off Kennett for third to give the scoreline a somewhat flattering gloss.

Wolves actually finished with a minority of race winners, but a more telling statistic was the number of fourth places.

The home team had a mere four while the visitors, whose reserve pairing of Josh Auty and Aaron Summers found the going tough all night, recorded 11.

Lindgren was masterful, dropping his sole point to Harris in heat six when an error in the deep shale off bend four scrubbed off all momentum just as he appeared to be gathering a sufficient head of steam to challenge.

However, the Swede's best moment came in the 13th when Krzysztof Kasprzak, who became more of a factor as the track slicked off, nipped ahead of Nicolai Klindt exiting the pits bend only for Lindgren to sweep past both in one fell swoop.

But race of the night was undoubtedly heat nine as Joe Haines made a killer start alongside Woffinden to lead Harris.

Woffinden could have disappeared into the distance for the win but eschewed the chance in favour of trying to team ride his partner round.

Haines was slowing visibly in the final two laps but disbelief mounted on the terraces as Harris, repeatedly probing and threatening to race either round or between the pair, found his every effort anticipated and closed off by the Wolves captain.

Somehow the pairing survived until the back straight of the very last lap only for Harris to switch his angle of attack and dive into the lead going into the last corner.

It was a fine win for Harris but a ride of enormous maturity from Woffinden, who turns 20 today, and appeared to give heart to the rest of the team.

Lindgren and Proctor gained a crucial 5-1 in the very next race, the Australian finally wresting the advantage from the impressive Kennett.

That brought a welcome respite from the Bees' pressure - and the castle stood.

By Tim Hamblin