THE injury-hit Panthers crashed to a heavy defeat at the hands of a strong Coventry side, slipping to fourth in the table after a home win for play-off rivals Lakeside.
Already reeling from the loss of in-form Troy Batchelor, who had to pull out of the meeting due to the recurrence of a shoulder injury, the Panthers never recovered from a slow start.
Lewis Bridger, eager to prove a point after moving from the Panthers mid-season, got Coventry off to a flying start with a Heat One win, and wins from Richard Sweetman and Ben Barker meant that the Panthers were already eight points down going into Heat Four.
Heat Four saw the Elite League debut of Danish star Kenni Larsen, guesting for Batchelor, and he was leading the race when Norbert Kosciuch and Davey Watt crashed in turn two, meaning a re-run. Larsen was again in front in the re-run, with Kosciuch joining him for what looked like a certain 5-1. Kosciuch unfortunately lost control and ran into the side of Larsen, leaving both to dust themselves down after the nasty clash.
More drama was to come, when Larsen was excluded on two minutes, and Mat Tresarrieu was called in to replace him. Kenneth Bjerre entered Heat Five in the black and white helmet colour, but was powerless to stop Edward Kennett and Ben Barker team-riding for a 5-1, leaving the Panthers 14 points adrift.
It was Rory Schlein’s turn to don the black and white helmet in Heat Seven, but a fast-starting Davey Watt held off Kenneth Bjerre, before the Dane slowed down on the last bend to allow his teammate the extra two points.
Two consecutive 5-1s saw the Bees all but safe for the win, with the Panthers left with only pride to play for.
And pride was partially restored by the Panthers duo of Kenneth Bjerre and Rory Schlein, who swapped race-wins for the last five heats.
A masterful ride by Schlein saw him pass both Richard Sweetman and Ben Barker in Heat 12, and Bjerre held off a fast Krzyzstof Kasprzak in Heat 13.
Schlein again showed his class in Heat 14, somehow managing to fend off Edward Kennett for four laps to gain a fourth successive Panthers win.
The now untouchable Schlein, returning to Coventry as a visitor for the first time since leaving them this season, showed the Brandon faithful what they’re missing out on by roaring to his third successive win.
Schlein was happy with his own performance, but understandably disappointed with the heavy defeat, he said: “Our backs were really against the wall from the start, with Troy pulling out last-minute with his shoulder. Fair play to Coventry really, they were pretty fast and we got caught with our pants round our ankles to be honest.
“It makes it a lot easier when you make some starts, and they had seven guys who were making some great gates.
“But we have to forget about it now and concentrate on next week.
“We’ve got a big week and we’ve got to make sure that we don’t let our head hit the pillow and let up. We’ve got to keep our wits about us and not let anything slip.”
COVENTRY 58 (Krzysztof Kasprzak 11 (1-3-3-2-2), Lewis Bridger 9:1 (3-2:1-3-1), Ben Barker 9:4 (3-2:1-2:1-1:1-1:1), Edward Kennett 10:1 (2:1-3-3-2), Dave Watt 6 (3-3). Aaron Summers 4:1 (1-0-2-0-1:1), Richard Sweetman 9:2 (3-1-2:1-1:1-2).