SEVEN points was the target from the Buildbase Bees' two away matches over the weekend - and seven points was exactly what they achieved as the race for the play-offs goes down to the wire.
Admittedly, Bees entered the run-in chasing Peterborough and now find themselves on Lakeside's tails instead, but it matters not from their point of view which team they unseat from a top four place, and Peterborough's own response to two home defeats on the bounce was an impressive one as they were 51-39 winners at Purfleet.
That means the Bees cannot realistically catch the Panthers by the close of play on Thursday, but the Hammers most certainly can be overhauled - and whilst it would be helpful to receive full clarification of the number of matches which will count for play-off qualification, what is beyond question is that if Bees beat Poole on Thursday they will be in the end of season shootout as long as Lakeside take nothing at Swindon.
That there was a meeting at all in Manchester on Monday was something of a miracle, the weather forecast initially indicating blanket rain from mid-afternoon onwards - and although that did improve and suggest the chance of at least some racing, it was still a miserable evening with rain and strong winds sweeping across the circuit, and miraculously the main band of heavy rain stayed away until shortly after Heat 15 had been completed.
One factor going in Bees' favour was that they were facing a team who had two of its big guns seemingly riding within themselves due to recent injuries, whilst Coventry arrived with a fully-fit line-up. It certainly showed given the tricky conditions, with times some way adrift of normal, although the track did ride well under the circumstances and it never got to the stage where an abandonment looked to be a race or so away.
Krzysztof Kasprzak showed plenty of confidence and speed back on his old home circuit, and he made a fast start in Heat 1 to get to the first bend ahead of Hans Andersen and then pull clear, with the battle being for second place as Lewis Bridger put the pressure on in a Bees' 4-2.
But the first 5-1 of the night went Belle Vue's way, Bees handicapped initially by Josh Auty's lack of dirt deflector for Heat 2 which resulted in him being penalised 15 metres. Przemyslaw Pawlicki was outgated by guest Chris Schramm and Filip Sitera, and although Auty moved third when Pawlicki went too wide on turn four and then fell next time around, he couldn't quite land a challenging blow as the Aces moved narrowly ahead.
Bees hit the front in Heat 3 with Ben Barker ahead and Edward Kennett closing down Leigh Lanham, but Barker also came to grief on turn four, and a second re-run was required with all three remaining riders when Lanham came down on the second bend in a close battle with Kennett. At the third time of asking, the Coventry man was untroubled in a 3-3.
Bees moved level in an eventful Heat 4 in which Harris made a horrible start from gate three but turned it to his advantage as the other three riders all got into difficulty on the second bend, and Harris simply picked his spot and came up the back straight ahead. Pawlicki sorted himself out before Schramm and chased Peter Karlsson before settling for a match-levelling 4-2.
Heat 5 saw Bees go back in front thanks to the Kasprzak/Bridger combination, KK making a great start from the outside to win ahead of Patrick Hougaard and a big battle for third place with Bridger passing Lanham, being re-passed but finally coming through for the point midway through the race.
Harris held a clear advantage over Andersen on his way to a second win in Heat 6 with Auty's efforts to pass James Wright in vain, but the run of Bees race winners continued in the next as they extended their lead, Kennett comfortable against Karlsson with Barker getting the better of Sitera and threatening Karlsson before a lurid moment on lap three caused him to drop back.
It got better for the Bees in Heat 8 with Bridger launching off gate four to dominate the race with a good battle taking place for second place, Pawlicki just unable to catch Schramm who took a fall after the end of the race having come home in between the Coventry pairing.
Heat 9 was shared thanks to a quality first two turns by Harris, who was beaten to the bend by Hougaard but simply turned back, made a long straight and sailed through on the inside. Again, Auty got nothing for effort against Lanham, but with Bees 30-24 up they were looking good for at least three points from the meeting.
Heat 10 proved to be a big turning point, largely due to the points that Belle Vue didn't gain because when Andersen and Wright gated, a 5-1 looked a near certainty especially given the conditions. However, the Aces duo never really managed to get together and a good move by Barker saw him cut inside Andersen on the second lap, and it got better still for the Bees when Andersen was trapped in mid-track at the end of lap three and Kennett made it around the outside for third place.
And then it was Coventry all the way as the match was secured in a blistering run of three 5-1s in three races. Heat 11 was pulled back for an unsatisfactory start with the Bees clear, but the re-run saw a repeat performance with Kasprzak and Bridger going ahead and Bridger holding off early pressure from Karlsson before confirming a maximum heat win.
The first tactical ride came into play in Heat 12, Belle Vue's problems summed up by the fact that it was guest Schramm who took it, but it went badly wrong as he made a poor start from the outside and compounded matters by getting out of shape on the first two bends. Pawlicki, in as a replacement for Auty, went steaming into the distance, showing a good turn of speed and never looking in danger, whilst Barker again provided the defensive moves to prevent any response from Lanham, with the lead jumping to an imposing 14-points.
Andersen was the next rider to go for double, this time from the inside in Heat 13, but having made the best start he overslid slightly on the second bend and that was game over as Harris and Kasprzak shot through on the inside. That left the scores at a remarkable 30-48 and Bees already had their four points in the bag.
There was no need for any heroics in the remaining two races, although the unlucky Auty came to grief in Heat 14 at the end of the third lap, with Kennett headed home by Hougaard who was arguably Belle Vue's best rider on the night.
Harris and Kasprzak had both been unbeaten from their first four rides but they did have to give best to Andersen in Heat 15 as the Dane surged into the lead from the outside and this time rode four perfect laps with Harris thrusting to pass, but that would have been little consolation to the home fans on a cold, damp evening.
But for the Buildbase Bees their four-point total for the night certainly made the trip back down a flooded M6 worthwhile, and from absolutely nowhere six weeks or so ago, they suddenly have a huge, season-defining clash against Poole at Brandon on Thursday.
BELLE VUE 37 Hans Andersen 2 2 0 1^ 3 = 8 James Wright 0 1* 0 3 = 4+1 Leigh Lanham 2 0 1* 1 = 4+1 Patrick Hougaard 1* 2 2 3 0 = 8+1 Peter Karlsson 2 2 1 0 = 5 Filip Sitera 2* 0 0 1 = 3+1 Chris Schramm 3 0 2 0^ = 5
BUILDBASE BEES 53 Krzysztof Kasprzak 3 3 3 2* 1* = 12+2 Lewis Bridger 1 1 3 2* = 7+1 Ben Barker X 1 2 2* = 5+1 Edward Kennett 3 3 1* 2 = 9+1 Chris Harris 3 3 3 3 2 = 14 Josh Auty 1 0 0 F = 1 Przemyslaw Pawlicki F 1 1 3 = 5
