The battling performance which saw Workington Comets beat play-off rivals Edinburgh at Derwent Park after the disappointment of a crushing defeat against the Monarchs on the road was vital, according to team manager Tony Jackson.

Workington went down 65-25 at Armadale on Friday and it would have been easy for heads to go down when the Monarchs came to West Cumbria the following day but the Comets dug in and got a 48-42 win to keep them in the hunt for the SGB Championship top four.

Jackson said: “It was an excellent match with good racing.

“We always knew we’d have a better shot of it at home.

“Edinburgh is a bit of a trick track and they’re so strong up there.

“We didn’t realistically think we’d replicate our win up there but we thought it would be a lot closer so that was a bit of a shock.

“The main thing was then to get the three points at home to maintain our push for the play-offs.

“Obviously it was disappointing that they got a point but a few mechanical issues and things went against us."

Jackson was also encouraged by the fact some of his riders were not at their best and had mechanical issues to deal with but the team pulled together to get the job done.

“It was probably Rasmus Jensen’s best performance for us at Derwent Park," he added.

“He was on fire last night and his pass on Erik Riss was sensational.

“Rene Bach did well at reserve and there were some good points from Kyle Bickley who you can see an improvement in every week.”

Comets travel to Scunthorpe on Friday in the Championship Shield before a home doubleheader against Newcastle and Redcar on Saturday which could have a big say in how Workington's season goes.