INJURY-HIT Sheffield were unable to end Workington’s home dominance as they suffered a resounding 56-33 defeat at Derwent Park.
The Window Centre Tigers travelled to Cumbria with hopes of becoming the first side to defeat the Comets on home soil in the Premier League this season.
However, they were dealt a blow early in the day as Jason Garrity was ruled out having picked up a knee injury at Coventry on Friday before Josh Bates crashed out of the meeting in heat two.
The in-form youngster was left with nowhere to go when Workington reserve Matt Williamson fell whilst leading, forcing him to withdraw from the meeting and take a trip to hospital.
He was given an initial diagnosis of bruising to his ribs and lungs, whilst the Tigers were left with their backs against the wall with only five riders on the night.
They put in a determined effort in search of a consolation point but were unable to add to their Premier League points tally.
Danish star Nicolai Klindt notched six points on his Tigers debut including a classy win in heat seven, but he otherwise endured a tough night including a failed tactical ride attempt in heat 10.
He admitted he was disappointed with his first appearance for Sheffield, but insisted there is more to come ahead of his home debut against Scunthorpe on Thursday.
Klindt said: “It was good to get my first meeting for Sheffield out of the way, although it was a tough night for us.
“I personally struggled a bit on setups and made some mistakes in the first corner which cost me points which was a bit disappointing.
“But I can promise it will be better on Thursday – I’ve got my engine back that I used last year now which I know works well, so I’m looking forward to my first meeting at Owlerton now and hopefully putting in a much better performance to help the team move on from tonight with a win.”
Having lost Bates early on, reserve partner Arthur Sissis was forced into a hectic evening but managed only three points from seven rides.
It was guesting No.1 Danny King who provided the bulk of Sheffield’s resistance, notching 14+1 with a determined display in place of Simon Stead.
Italian youngster Paco Castagna added an encouraging 4+1 including a composed race win as he combined with King in heat 11.
Frenchman David Bellego started brightly but could not build on a win in his first ride as the visitors accounted for only five race winners and ran 12 last places on a difficult evening.
They will nonetheless aim to bounce back and keep their play-off push on course as they host local rivals Scunthorpe at Owlerton on Thursday (7.30).
WORKINGTON 56: Matthew Wethers 11+4, Rene Bach 11, Kenneth Hansen 9+2, Kyle Howarth 9+1, Ricky Wells 9, Rusty Harrison 6+2, Matt Williamson 1.
SHEFFIELD 33: Danny King 14+1, David Bellego 6, Nicolai Klindt 6, Paco Castagna 4+1, Arthur Sissis 3, Josh Bates 0, Jason Garrity r/r.
