WOLVERHAMPTON will have to wait to secure their play-off spot after suffering a 50-40 defeat at Sheffield "“ which led to yet another Super Heat.

This time the additional race was for the aggregate point and it was former Parrys International Wolves duo Tobiasz Musielak and Tai Woffinden who came up with the crucial rides at the end of the meeting to send the visitors away point-less.

Musielak and Woffinden controlled proceedings with support from Josh Pickering whereas it was an inconsistent night for the Monmore men, unlike in their recent wins at Peterborough and Leicester, with none of their team able to win more than one race in the 15 heats.

They did keep things close in the early stages with Luke Becker becoming their first winner in Heat 3, but those were the only points the American was able to score in the meeting.

Wolves levelled the match with a 4-2 in Heat 5 although they had gated on a maximum until Pickering got the better of Steve Worrall on the first lap to split the combination with Sam Masters.

And things began to go the home side's way when Musielak rounded Ryan Douglas early in Heat 6 before Woffinden team-rode Lewis Kerr to a 5-1 over Rory Schlein in the next.

Worrall prevented a dream Premiership race win on his debut for 16-year-old Ashton Boughen in Heat 8, and Wolves kept the gap at six points until Musielak stormed into second place in Heat 10 to join home captain Kyle Howarth for a 5-1.

A further run of shared races followed, including Heat 13 where Woffinden's winning run came to an end as he could find no way past Douglas and Masters.

Musielak's race win ensured victory on the night for the Tigers, but Wolves fired back into contention for the aggregate point when Douglas and Schlein secured a 5-1 over Pickering and Kerr in Heat 14.

But the Sheffield top two restored the margin to ten points at the expense of the same Wolves combination in Heat 15, before skipper Sam Masters joined Douglas for the Super Heat.

Douglas produced a great ride to hit the front but the Tigers duo held the second and third places which are all-important in those deciders, giving the Owlerton side all three points available.

With Ipswich defeating Leicester at Foxhall, it means the clubs in second to fifth places in the Premiership table are now covered by just four points "“ and one of them will miss out on the play-offs.

Wolves have another chance to make sure of their own progression in Monday's Round 2 fixture against the Tigers (8pm) at Monmore, where a win will be enough to put them out of Ipswich's reach.

SHEFFIELD 50: Tobiasz Musielak 13+2, Tai Woffinden 12, Josh Pickering 10, Kyle Howarth 7+2, Lewis Kerr 6+2, Ashton Boughen 2, Adam Ellis r/r.
WOLVERHAMPTON 40: Ryan Douglas 11, Steve Worrall 8, Zach Cook 6+1, Sam Masters 5+2, Rory Schlein 5+1, Luke Becker 3, Leon Flint 2+2.

Photo credit: CHARLOTTE FLANIGAN