WEYMOUTH Weyline Wildcats chairman Phil Bartlett conceded his side were beaten by the “better team” following last night’s 60-32 humbling at the hands of the Isle of Wight Islanders at the Smallbrook Stadium.

Bartlett had hoped his side would build on last Saturday’s victory over the play-off chasing Plymouth Devils by securing back-to-back wins for the first time this season but it failed to materialise as mechanical gremlins before the parade lap sparked an evening of prolonged disappointment.

The margin of the defeat did not reflect the racing though, according to Bartlett, who will be hoping for a big response from his team in Friday’s return match at the Wessex Raceway.

He said: “We had a lot of bike problems before the parade lap with three out of the seven falling apart. We managed to get them sorted but we got off to a poor start and could not catch up.

“It certainly wasn’t for a lack of effort. There was some cracking racing on show but we just kept coming out on the wrong end of it.

“Going to the Isle of Wight from our home track is like going from one extreme to another in terms of size. It would be like adding another 120 metres on to the Wessex Raceway, so in terms of set up and strategy, it is very different to what we are used to but that is still no excuse.

"They were the better team on the night and deserved the win. It was as simple as that.”

The Wildcats remain at the foot of the National League table but Bartlett is not panicking just yet.

He added: “We are a different proposition at home and I am sure the lads will go out there on Friday night with a point to prove. They will want to set the record straight in what is now a must-win for us.”

Despite the huge disappointment of such a heavy defeat, there were still a couple of positives that Bartlett could take from the performance with new boy Adam McKinna (7+1) following up his impressive debut against the Devils.

James Cockle (8+1) and Tom Brown (11) also showed good form but Gary Cottham and Richard Andrews both scored zero from four races, making their nights one to forget. Byron Bekker (3) and Luke Chessell (3) also struggled.

It was four former Wildcats who ironically did the damage for the Islanders with Nick Simmons (12+1) top scoring ahead of Brendan Johnson (11+1), Lee Smethills (7+3) and Danny Warwick (9+1).