SHEFFIELD skipper Simon Stead was full of praise for a patched-up Tigers team after they edged out Peterborough tonight.

Stead pulled off a vital heat 15 pass on rival captain Ulrich Ostergaard to ensure Panthers could not claim the 5-1 they needed to snatch a draw at Owlerton.

Great Britain ace Stead’s second spot in that race was enough to secure the most nail-biting of successes which pulled them two points clear of Rye House at the bottom of the Premier League standings.

And that was no mean feat for a team missing three regular riders – Ty Proctor, Leigh Lanham and Josh Bates – due to injury.

“We knew we were in for a really tough test against Peterborough,” said Stead. “And that is exactly what we got.

“They are full of proven big-track riders so it was a great effort to get the win. I know we dropped a point, but we are happy with the victory.”

Stead had earlier reeled off a hat-trick of victories on his way to a dozen points – one of them in heat 10 on machinery belonging to team-mate Andre Compton after a first-bend spill.

And there was also a mighty contribution at the other end of the Tigers order from fast-improving reserve Taylor Poole.

Riding in front of his legendary father Mick, who has flown in from Asutralia, Poole piled up paid 13 points while the new middle-order alliance of Compton (9) and Ben Wilson (8) also scored solidly.

Wilson handed the Tigers a perfect start in the opener by securing his first race victory since returning to the club.

That contest ended in a 4-2 – a familiar scoreline as seven of the first eight heats finished that way, four of them in Sheffield’s favour.

The hosts possessed a narrow lead for much of the contest but they were pegged back when Peterborough top-scorer Lasse Bjerre and Lewis Blackbird stormed to a 5-1 over reserve guest Tom Perry in a heat 11 re-run.

Fellow Tigers guest Sam Masters had hit the deck heavily in the initial staging of that race and later retired from heat 13.

By then Sheffield were back in front thanks to a fine response in heat 12 when Wilson and Poole teamed up for a maximum. They were admittedly aided by the second retirement of the night for Ales Dryml when he was attempting to pass Wilson for the lead on the final lap.

A couple of shared races preserved their cushion before Stead pulled off the vital pass in the finale to ensure they kept their noses in front.

Sheffield are back in action on Sunday (July 27) when they travel to Workington.

SCORES

SHEFFIELD: Taylor Poole 12+1, Simon Stead 12, Andre Compton 9+1, Ben Wilson 8, Sam Masters 3, Tom Perry 2+1, Rider replacement for Ty Proctor.

PETERBOROUGH: Lasse Bjerre 14, Ulrich Ostergaard 13, Lewis Blackbird 7+2, Ales Dryml 4+1, Nicki Barrett 4, Joe Jacobs 2 Rider replacement for Ryan Fisher.