ONLY those with rose-tinted spectacles, eternal optimism, a minimal grasp of reality or a strong affection for Lakeside Hammers could have left the Showground in high spirits last night.

For the vast majority that don't fit into one of the above categories, the first taste of speedway on Alwalton shale for five weeks turned into a total, utter disaster.

Everything from the unexpected withdrawal of influential Kenneth Bjerre to troubled track preparation and nightmare equipment failure reared its ugly head to hinder the home side on a night when fluffing their lines was not an option.

This was supposed to be the meeting when Trevor Swales' men proved how much they have progressed since being held to a Craven Shield draw by Lakeside back in March, and also the night when the regular Panthers riders gave their makeshift equivalents something to defend in the second leg tonight.

From as early as heat five it was clear that was not going to be the case on either count. By then Lakeside had slammed in back-to-back 5-1s in the fourth and fifth contests to take a stranglehold on proceedings they would never surrender.

In fact Panthers bosses probably had an inkling that a tough night might be in store as early as mid-morning after Bjerre had contacted Swales to say he was experiencing pain in the left thigh where he broke a femur as recently as a month ago.

Bjerre had followed up his successful Danish GP display with league meetings in Sweden and Denmark on Tuesday and Wednesday night respectively, but by the time Thursday came those outings had taken their toll and he was not up to Panthers duty.

"I feel really bad for not riding, but I have to take it one day at a time," said Bjerre. "I have done too many meetings in too short a space of time.

"My leg is hurting just walking around and I didn't feel I could risk it on a track which can be quite rough. I felt the other boys would be able to score more points from my rides than I could manage myself."

Sadly Bjerre was very wrong as his outings produced just five points and an ill-fated tactical ride for captain Hans Andersen.

Meanwhile delays with the curation of the Showground surface left conditions just to the liking of the visitors rather than the hosts.

That factor was highlighted by Henning Bager, the man who bottomed the Panthers scorechart with only one point but knows only too well how the opponents will have been buoyed by the slick surroundings they discovered.

"We played right into Lakeside's hands," claimed Bager.