The new-look city side scraped to an East Anglian derby victory in front of an expectant Easter Monday crowd in their first serious outing of the season, but the majority of those present at the sub-zero Showground left admiring the performance of one of their former favourites.

Piotr Swiderski made a rapid return with a point to prove after being squeezed out of the city side's thinking during the winter.

And boy, did he manage it with a sparkling 14-point performance – his best-ever at his past home track – rivalled only by the display of Panthers captain Hans Andersen.

Club asset Swiderski issued a statement of intent by charging from third to first to lower the colours of the Panthers skipper in the opening and he reeled off another hat-trick of heat wins before finally being stopped by Andersen in the finale.

"Full credit to 'Swidders' because he rode the place better than he ever has before," said Andersen.

"When I looked over my shoulder on the back straight in heat one I had my partner Sam Simota behind me – then the next thing I knew Piotr was flying past me half a lap later!

"I was just glad I stopped him getting a maximum in the last heat and I'm very pleased we picked up the win."

The cold weather (which included a brief snow flurry) prompted a silly headgear competition among the Panthers' management in the pits with Mick Bratley's beanie that resembled a tea cosy winning top prize from the fetching flying hats sported by owner Colin Horton and team boss Trevor Swales.

But it didn't stop a decent meeting unfolding out on the track where it was largely predictable stuff from a Panthers side who lived up to the popular belief of having too much top-end power and nowhere near enough strength in depth.

Big-guns Andersen and Kenneth Bjerre combined for more than half of the team's total while Danny King scored steadily in his new role as a heat leader and Claus Vissing again suggested he is a star in the making down at number seven.