NEIL Middleditch admitted Pirates' sluggish gating had cost them dear against Swindon and confessed: "It was as if we hit reverse when the tapes went up."

Swindon, the reigning SGB Premiership champions, were significantly sharper out of the traps at Wimborne Road on Wednesday and stormed to a stunning 52-38 triumph.

Aussie chargers Nick Morris (14) and Troy Batchelor (12) ran riot, while David Bellego and Adam Ellis were unbeaten by an opposition rider in three of their four outings.

Pirates claimed just three heat advantages and their hopes of reclaiming the top-flight title they last won in 2015 suffered an early body blow.

Asked if he had been shocked by the result, team boss Middleditch told the Daily Echo: "I've got to say I was because the signs had looked good from the first couple of meetings and I thought we could march on.

"It was just the starts. We weren't losing races by a long way but were still losing them.

"It's speedway. You have good nights and bad nights. I think the boys have to look at the set-ups and work on the gates – that is so important.

"If we could have put our finger on what was going wrong, we would have made some gates but it was just one of those things.

"They were a bike in front of us. It was as if we hit reverse when the tapes went up. It wasn't a pretty sight, I'm afraid to say."

Despite the heavy defeat, Middleditch insisted he would not be "running for the lifeboats" and said there remained plenty of time to get back on course.

He added: "I know these boys try hard. My job is to keep their spirits up. It's very difficult because I've been there and it's not a good place.

"Riders don't go out to lose races, they go out to win every race and, unfortunately, it doesn't happen every time.

"They are professionals and have to try to bounce back, and, hopefully, they will do that at Wolverhampton.

"One meeting doesn't make a season. We've been here before... don't panic just yet."