SWINDON co-promoter Gary Patchett is hoping the Robins’ run of postponed meetings will not interfere in their impressive start to the Elite League season.

Tonight’s meeting with Poole Pirates was called off yesterday evening due to heavy rain with more forecast for today, meaning the Robins’ last four meeting have fallen victim to the weather.

Alun Rossiter’s side have won their opening four meetings in the league to lay down an early marker to the rest of the league, and Patchett is hoping they will pick up where they left once they manage to return to the track.

“We have lost our last four meetings due to the weather now, and that is shocking, but it is not just us it is everybody around here at the moment,” he said.

“As a club we all wanted to keep the momentum going, so it is frustrating to see the chance to do that taken by the rain.

“We really thought we could push Poole away on their own track last week, while we were confident we could win at Coventry.

“Everyone has started the season really well and we are all really pleased with what we have done, and I am sure it will carry on.

“But even though we haven’t ridden here in a little while, most of the guys are riding elsewhere so will still be getting some meetings under their belt.”

Patchett insisted calling the meeting off early was the only option, after a dramatic change in the weather forecast.

“We had an awful lot of rain yesterday and we were relying on a positive weather forecast which said we were going to have a dry day today, but then in the space of three hours that radically changed to say we were expecting half an inch, at a time we expected nothing,” he said.

“We needed a dry night and we were not going to get it, and you need the track to be dry before you start working on it and packing it in hard.

“If it is not, and you open it all up, it will all just turn to sludge.

“If we had half a chance of getting it on we would have held off on the decision until today, but it was an obvious one.

“The one benefit of calling off early is that you avoid paying some costs like stadium rent and things like that.

“You also have orders of catering and hospitality and things like that, and by calling off the night before we save on things like that and keep some costs down.”

The continued postponements mean Peter Kildemand’s stay at reserve is set to extend beyond the meeting at Poole on May 7, and team manager Rossiter is hopeful of taking advantage of the Dane’s current superb form.

“He is riding superbly so I suppose it would be nice to get the meetings in now and take advantage of that, but whoever drops down to reserve when Peter moves up will do a superb job,” he said.

“Jason Doyle and Nick Morris have been riding well too, so I know we will be fine.”

Meanwhile Swindon’s second visit of the season to Lakeside Hammers has been put back by three days.

The Blunsdon outfit were due to travel to Purfleet on Friday, June 15 but the meeting will now take place on Monday, June 18.