IT looks like Belle Vue, Poole and Wolverhampton – boosted by the return of world champion Tai Woffinden – are nailed on for the Elite League play-offs, leaving Swindon and Lakeside to fight it out for the remaining place.

Swindon gave their season a huge lift with two wins in five days, including Monday's defeat of champions Poole.

After a poor performance at Coventry, Swindon's win at King's Lynn last Thursday was as convincing as it was unexpected.

The home side were missing Robert Lambert and Lewis Rose but drafted a strong replacement duo in Chris Harris and Lewis Kerr.

With skipper Jason Doyle motoring to an untroubled four-ride maximum and Nick Morris claiming three wins, it proved a perfect springboard for the rest of the side to take a welcome four points back to Blunsdon.

It is vital to have scoring reserves and with Stefan Nielsen returning from injury and Charles Wright sidelined with concussion this was a worrying area for Swindon.

But Nielsen claimed a paid eight points and stand-in Leigh Lanham scored in each of his rides as they easily outscored the home reserves Josh Grajczonek may have got only four points but he helped get the Robins off to a strong start, joining Morris for a 5-1 in heat three.

Meanwhile the struggling Justin Sedgmen claimed a welcome win in heat eight.

KING’S LYNN 41: Niels-Kristian Iversen 10+1, Chris Harris 9+1, Kai Huckenbeck 7, Rory Schlein 5, Troy Batchelor 4+2, Lewis Kerr 5, Josh Bailey 1+1.

SWINDON 51: Jason Doyle 12, Nick Morris 11, Rohan Tungate 7+1, Stefan Nielsen 7, Justin Sedgmen 6, Leigh Lanham 4+2, Josh Grajczonek 4+1.

With Wright and Grajczonek due to be absent from the meeting at Belle Vue 24 hours later it was perhaps a lucky break when the fixture was rained off.

On to Monday and the tough home clash with Poole.

It looked difficult for the Robins early on as Sedgmen, on a 5-1 with Doyle over Chris Holder in the opening race, pulled out with engine trouble on lap three and then the Pirates took a 5-1 in heat two to move into the lead.

From then on a determined home side were in command, taking the lead in the fourth race.

Doyle and Rohan Tungate each won their first three rides and with Grajczonek unbeaten by an opponent at the same stage the Robins raced to a 10-point lead by heat 10. The generally disappointing Pirates fought back with a tactical 5-3 through Hans Andersen and Krzysztof Buczkowski in the next race and then took a 4-2 in heat 12.

Swindon's challenge nearly came off the rails with a 5-1 for Poole in heat 13 which took the score to a nerve racking 41–39.

But heat 14 saw Buczkowski excluded after his fall on the first turn. In the rerun Tungate combined with Morris to pull off a match-winning 5-1 over the talented young Australian champion Brady Kurtz, giving the welcome three match points to the home side.

SWINDON 50: Jason Doyle 13, Rohan Tungate 13, Josh Grajczonek 7+2, Nick Morris 7+2, Charles Wright 6+1, Justin Sedgmen 3+1, Stefan Nielsen 1.

POOLE 42: Hans Andersen 9, Chris Holder 8+2, Bjarne Pedersen 7+1, Brady Kurtz 6, Adam Ellis 5+2, Kyle Newman 4, Krzysztof Buczkowski 3+1.

So with Lakeside losing at Wolverhampton on the same night the win puts the Robins four points ahead of their Essex rivals.

Lakeside visit Coventry on Friday evening and then travel to King’s Lynn next Thursday while Leicester are at the Abbey the same night.

Before then the Robins go to Wolves on Monday in the second part of a double-header.

There are still some twists and turns to come.