DEPLETED Sheffield put in another brave display but could not prevent a 53-37 loss against Redcar at the South Tees Motorsport Park.
Still suffering badly with injury problems, the Tigers fought valiantly to keep their hopes of a point alive for the majority of the meeting.
However, they eventually ran out of steam and missed out on what would have been an excellent consolation point.
It was a frustrating night for the Owlerton outfit as they left with no reward for a determined showing - and boss Joe Screen admitted it was a tough night.
Said Screen: "It's been a nightmare for us, and tonight was another hard meeting.
"We had to go with Nathan Greaves guesting at No.3 because we got let down by Chris Mills at the last minute and that was a tough ask for him.
"Josh (Bates) did well coming back from his injury but Simon (Stead) was still feeling ill which is why he didn't go out in heat 15.
"We are still up against it at the moment, and although we gave it our best shot we just didn't quite have enough in the end.
"Fingers crossed Leigh Lanham and Andre Compton can come back soon and we can get back to full strength, because we really want to try and finish the season strongly."
Talented Australian Taylor Poole again top scored as he experienced another hectic night at reserve, racing to two race wins on his way to double figures.
Reserve partner Josh Bates also battled hard for seven points on his return from injury, whilst skipper Simon Stead put in a good performance despite still struggling with tonsillitis.
Recent addition Nico Covatti put in another encouraging display to notch paid double figures - but Ben Wilson and guesting youngster Nathan Greaves struggled in the engine room of the side.
It was a difficult night for Screen's side as their dreadful misfortune with injuries continues to plague their campaign.
REDCAR 53: Aaron Summers 12+1, Carl Wilkinson 10+2, Stuart Robson 8+2, Hugh Skidmore 7+1, Rafal Konopka 6+1, Mark Lemon 6+1, Jan Graversen 4+2
SHEFFIELD 37: Taylor Poole 10+2, Nico Covatti 9+1, Simon Stead 9, Josh Bates 7, Ben Wilson 2, Nathan Greaves 0, Leigh Lanham r/r
