SHEFFIELD saw their unbeaten home record brought to an end as they slipped to a 48-45 defeat against Peterborough at Owlerton.
The Window Centre Tigers were dealt a blow early on when skipper Simon Stead was forced to withdraw following a heavy crash on the opening bend of heat three.
Although they led for the majority of the meeting, the Panthers gradually chipped away at their advantage before eventually snatching victory in the closing stages.
It was a tough night for the Yorkshiremen as their difficult run of form continued with their first competitive defeat at Owlerton this season.
Joint team manager Marc Bates admitted the loss of star man Stead early on had a big impact – but he nonetheless insisted his side were simply not good enough.
Said Bates: “It was definitely a blow to lose Steady so early on, but we can’t make any excuses and we should still be winning at home.
“It was another poor performance, Josh (Bates) only scoring three points was disappointing and there are a few riders who aren’t really pulling their weight.
“We put this team together to win things, and after getting knocked out of the Cup and not getting anything from the Fours things really need to improve.”
Dimitri Berge played a starring role for the Tigers to give them hope following Stead’s withdrawal, going unbeaten in his opening five rides before missing out on a maximum in heat 15.
Middle order man Kyle Howarth also impressed, bagging 14 points, whilst Arthur Sissis made a crucial contribution to help cover Stead’s remaining rides.
His reserve partner Nathan Greaves helped them make a bright start but faded as the meeting progressed, whilst Josh Bates endured a night to forget in the engine room of the side.
With second heat-leader Jason Garrity still ruled out through injury, the loss of Stead proved a bitter blow and powerhouse Peterborough top two Craig Cook and Ulrich Ostergaard ensured the visitors took full advantage.
The Tigers will look to bounce back as they travel to Edinburgh on Friday (7.30) before hosting Ipswich in their next home meeting next Thursday (7.30).
SHEFFIELD 45: Dimitri Berge 14+1, Kyle Howarth 14, Arthur Sissis 7+1, Nathan Greaves 4+1, Simon Stead 3, Josh Bates 3, Jason Garrity r/r. PETERBOROUGH 48: Ulrich Ostergaard 15, Craig Cook 12, Emil Grondal 6+2, Nikolaj Busk Jakobsen 5, Zdenek Holub 4+1, Ashley Morris 3+1, Tom Perry 3.
