THIS will go down as one of the more unlikely wins of the season - but it could be one of absolutely crucial importance in the race for the play-offs.
The Buildbase Bees, Peterborough and Lakeside have little between them in the table, but the Bees have home matches in hand on the Panthers, and so preventing them from taking any away points from Brandon could prove to be very significant.
And what a meeting it turned out to be, once again proving that even if teams are depleted, the revised line-ups can still produce a terrific advert for the sport.
Peterborough will feel they threw things away, and certainly weren't helped by the mid-meeting withdrawal of Kenneth Hansen after three impressive wins.
But the Bees had arguably been hit harder by absences - including at reserve as well as in the top five - and they were able to toast a new hero in Ricky Wells, who put in by far the best performance of his career.
Regular Brandon viewers will be fully aware that Wells possesses the speed and track-craft to hold positions, but on this occasion he made a series of good starts and was rewarded with a bumper double-figure haul.
With Scott Nicholls signing off in just the way he wanted, Lewis Bridger a lively guest, Filip Sitera working hard in a tough position and Edward Kennett overcoming illness to come good at the end, Bees had just enough to send a sizeable crowd home happy.
Their attacking team declaration, with rider replacement at No.2, initially looked like it could backfire when Panthers skipper Niels-Kristian Iversen jetted from gate four to comfortably defeat Nicholls and Bridger in the first race.
Pre-meeting talk had been of how the visitors had been struggling to get out of the starts in their recent matches, but that was certainly not a problem for them on this occasion!
Wells missed out in Heat 2, for what turned out to be the only time, although he kept pressure on an eventual Panthers' 5-1 with Claus Vissing taking some unusual lines en route to second place, gained after a faster-starting Robert Ksiezak had made an error at the start of the second lap.
Heat 3 will go down as one of those long-running epics which seems to be reserved for fixtures between these two clubs. At the first start, Hansen was pulled back for a flyer, and at the second he found himself on the outside of a three-into-one-won't-go involving himself, Kennett and Mads Korneliussen.
The fall appeared innocuous but Hansen needed lengthy treatment both on track and in the medical room before surprisingly resuming his place in the re-run.
Korneliussen then jumped the start which sent everyone round for a fourth go, and this time the Bees established themselves in front, Kennett re-passing Korneliussen on the second lap who promptly fell on turn three and was unable to clear the track - Kennett, in fact, having to lay his bike down next time around as the sunshine obscured the red lights.
With Korneliussen disqualified but the race unable to be awarded, Hansen rode a brilliant second turn to make it past both Kennett and Bridger, which only added to Coventry's frustration.
And the Panthers retained control as Hansen turned straight round and won Heat 4 as rider-replacement, although Vissing's mistake on the second bend allowed Wells to come past him on the inside and at least prevent a 5-1.
But Iversen maintained the six-point lead with a fine ride in Heat 5, switching back inside Kennett off turn two and then just holding back the Coventry man's last-lap return challenge, as guest Darcy Ward dropped a chain at the back.
Bees were sorely in need of a positive result, and a race winner at least, and they got both in Heat 6 even though Nicholls and Sitera were both outgated by the Panthers' reserves. Nicholls was quickly to the front whilst Sitera neatly made it past Bager, chased Vissing and took advantage of his opponent going sideways off the final turn to snatch an excellent second place.
Hansen, though, kept his winning run going in Heat 7 with Sitera doing well again to take second place with a cut-back on Korneliussen which prevented major damage, although it did leave the Panthers four points up.
And just when the Bees looked to level the scores, Ward produced a ride of brilliance which underlined his superstar potential, with Nicholls doing all he could to team-ride Wells to a 5-1. Ward, though, worked out his opportunity and finally edged Nicholls out going into the last lap before chasing Wells, running him hard but fair into turn three, and coming out in front. A fantastic battle involving two 17-year-olds and a real glimpse into the future.
The statistics of the meeting, though, were that the Panthers were four points ahead having had seven of the eight heat winners... something had to change - and it did.
Bridger became the first rider to beat Iversen in Heat 9, just holding the opposing captain off in a close battle, but any gains for the Bees were negated by the fact that Bager defended third spot from Kennett resolutely, even re-passing him off turn four when Kennett appeared to have made his move on the inside.
It all meant a 5-1 in Heat 10 was absolutely vital, and Bees were helped in that respect with the withdrawal of Hansen. Nicholls and Bridger hit the first bend ahead, and gained the result they needed to leave the scores at 30-30.
However, Heat 11 had a visiting 5-1 written all over it as Iversen took the lead from the start and Ward wound up the outside to shoot past Ksiezak and Sitera off turn two, and Bees knew the size of their task over the last four races.
Heat 12 provided the first step on the comeback trail, and a big one at that as Wells made another brilliant start to link up with Kennett, and they were helped when Korneliussen's outside sweeps as he tried to build speed were blocked by Bager coming through on his inside on the third lap.
Then in Heat 13 Bees gained a bonus as a race which appeared to be heading for a 3-3, with Nicholls clamping Iversen on the first bend, turned into a 4-2 when Iversen's safe second place was ended by an ill-timed mechanical failure on the third lap. The bike never stops when you are at the back...
That meant Bees could clinch victory with a 5-1 in Heat 14, but it wasn't quite that straightforward even with Hansen missing out, because although Wells made another superb start and rode to an untroubled win, Bridger missed out and had to be content with third place after getting the better of Bager in the early part of the race.
So there was plenty resting on Heat 15 with Bees needing a 5-1 for all three points, and the Panthers needing a 5-1 for a draw. The visitors' selections of Iversen and Ward were fairly clear-cut, whilst Bees elected to track Kennett alongside Nicholls -and it all came right for them.
Their pairing made the best starts from gates 2 and 4 with Iversen having changed machines, and the team-riding was then perfect as Iversen probed for an opportunity, and very nearly did find a way through off the final bend - but the gap closed just in time, and the Bees riders crossed the line in first and second places.
It was a fitting way for Nicholls to end his second spell with the club, and all supporters will wish him the very best of fortune at Ipswich (maybe all except next Friday!) as he looks to finish a difficult season on a high.
Coventry themselves can look forward to the remainder of the campaign with their team starting to come back together, the makeshift side having done them proud in this match - and it will be one which Ricky Wells never forgets.
