Edinburgh Monarchs suffer a setback in play-off bid against Plymouth Gladiators

The loss in Devon was just the third of Monarchs' campaign so far, however, it was a meeting they would have expected to have taken at least a point from beforehand.

The Capital club remain second in the standings and have the opportunity to bounce back when they make the journey along the coast tonight to take on the Poole Pirates.

Although spearheaded by former three-time world champion Jason Crump, and Danish World Cup winner Bjarne Pedersen, the Gladiators have been struggling for form with last night's victory just their second in nine attempts this season.

In truth, the Monarchs were second best out of the gate which made life difficult on a track where passing was at a premium.

The evening got off to the perfect start for the visitors when skipper and No.1 Sam Masters and Willie Lawson combined for a 5-1.

Reserve Luke Crang, who was making his debut in blue and gold following the release of Joe Lawlor, came down in heat two before team-mate Nathan Greaves crossed the finishing line in first at the third time of asking.

Riders were far from impressed with track conditions at the Coliseum and even though Monarchs produced five of the opening six race winners, the hosts were filling in the minor scoring positions.

Monarchs' four-point advantage was slashed in heat seven with the in-form Josh Pickering surprisingly finishing in last place as the Gladiators reduced the arrears to 22-20.

The home side took the lead for the first time in the meeting in the very next race and didn't look back. A 5-1 from impressive reserve Alfie Bowtell and Jason Edwards over Greaves and Lawson had the Gladiators 25-23 ahead, and although the Monarchs momentarily levelled the match 36-36 after 12 heats, a late collapse put paid to picking up at least a losing bonus point. The remaining three heats saw the English outfit outscore their opponents 14-4 to add some gloss to the final scoreline.

Australian Kye Thomson, who is proving a shrewd signing for the Monarchs this year, was making his first-ever appearance at the Plymouth circuit and scored a solid seven from his four outings.

The 22-year-old said afterwards: "It was pretty difficult conditions out there. We held on for a long time but it ended up getting away from us and it was their night in the end. The tapes were a bit inconsistent going up so I struggled a bit with that.

"I had a bad first heat and had to avoid a crash, but I finished off the night strongly on a personal level. It's just a shame the team couldn't pick up a point. The track wasn't great but we move on and hopefully things will be better. Today is a new day so we'll be giving it 110 per cent at Poole tonight."

Gladiators: Pedersen 13, Bowtell 11, Keleher 10, Crump 6, Cook 4, Edwards 4, Ruml 2.

Monarchs: Worrall 10, Masters 9, Thomson 7, Greaves 6, Pickering 5, Lawson 3, Crang 0.