PETER Schroeck described Oxford Spires’ Premiership defeat at Ipswich Witches as ‘unacceptable’.

Spires quickly fell eight points behind in the first three races, with the gap increasing to 12 points after seven heats.

Ashton Boughen, 16, and Charles Wright pulled back a 5-1 in Heat 8, and Spires closed the gap further when Schroeck placed Rohan Tungate into Heat 9 as a tactical substitute, with he and Chris Harris claiming a 5-1.

However, Witches secured five successive heat advantages and went on to win 53-37.

READ ALSO: Former Oxford City forward completes move to League One giants

Schroeck said: “Our performance was unacceptable really. A couple of riders did really well, while we shouldn’t be relying on a 16-year-old.

“Ashton got stuck in and did his job. But we’ve also got some experienced riders and they should be able to cope with all types of conditions, but some of them just couldn’t find their feet.

“At this time of the year, track preparation is not always ideal and you simply have to get on with it. We got ourselves back in the game with a couple of 5-1s, and everything was looking alright to get a decent result, but then we totally fell away. A lot of it was down to mental attitude.

“I need to be honest and say when I don’t think it’s good enough. I don’t like using the word, but I was disappointed by our performance and I need to see a reaction in the home meetings against Sheffield and Ipswich next week.”