Hungry Wolves seal victory at Monmore
Wolverhampton[gallery] got their play-off push back on track as they returned to winning ways with a hard-fought victory over Swindon at Monmore Green.
Having been condemned to their first home defeat of the season against high-flying King's Lynn last week, Wolves responded in perfect fashion with an excellent win.
Skipper Tai Woffinden grabbed a faultless paid maximum while Piotr Pawlicki stormed to a spectacular 13-point haul as the pair powered their side to a much-needed success and three huge Elite League points.
The result moves Peter Adams' men up to fifth in the table and gives their hopes of a top four finish a timely boost.
Triumph
The dynamic Woffinden-Pawlicki partnership led the hosts to a confidence-boosting triumph, as they combined for three vital 5-1s.
Having each opened up with composed wins to help Wolves make a strong start, they joined forces in heat five to shut out Nick Morris with some superb team riding and move their side 13 points clear.
By the time they were in action together again in heat 13 the deficit had been reduced to eight – yet they struck a classy maximum once again to all but secure three points for the hosts before wrapping up a superb win in heat 15.
Pawlicki narrowly missed out on a well-deserved maximum due to engine troubles in the final race, but by that stage he had more than fulfilled his task with another marvellous performance.
While the heat-leader pair undoubtedly stole the show, they received excellent support throughout with a strong all-around team performance.
Ty Proctor and Ricky Wells bounced back from being on the receiving end of a potentially disastrous Swindon 8-1, as the visitors used a tactical ride in heat six, by recording a composed heat eight 5-1 following some textbook team riding.
Swedish star Jacob Thorssell also raced to two classy wins to continue his excellent form as Wolves' top five accounted for 11 race victories.
Down at reserve, Tom Perry and Joe Jacobs added creditable scores to bolster the lower order and ensure Wolves edged a cagey clash.
It was ultimately a night where the class of Woffinden and Pawlicki shone through, and they will hope for more of the same as they travel to two top four sides, Poole and Lakeside, on Wednesday and Friday respectively.
Wolverhampton: Tai Woffinden 13+2, Piotr Pawlicki 13, Jacob Thorssell 7, Ty Proctor 6+1, Ricky Wells 5, Joe Jacobs 4+1, Tom Perry 3+1.
Swindon 41: Steve Worrall 11+2, Peter Kildemand 9+1, Troy Batchelor 8+2, Simon Gustafsson 6+1, Nick Morris 4, Dakota North 2, Nathan Greaves 1.
