PANTHERS approach trips to Swindon with the same degree of trepidation that Gordon Brown has for a by-election.

It is the sort of experience that rivals a trip to the dentist's chair as you can be assured a speedway adventure into deepest Wiltshire will end in considerable discomfort.

Panthers were swept aside no fewer than four times at the Robins' Abbey Stadium base last season alone – a record which included one of the heaviest setbacks in their history and one of the most galling when they lost their grip on the Elite League title.

That's why few would have given Trevor Swales' rejuvenated side a serious hope of claiming a second away triumph in the space of 24 hours following their fabulous success at Poole on Wednesday.

And while that never looked on cards once the hosts hit the front after the third heat, the current Panthers batch did at least put up some decent resistance. And that's not something their predecessors in recent times could manage at this particular venue.

The city side reached the 40-point mark – a minimum requirement for respectability on the road – which ensured a third away trip in a row had more positives than negatives.

That was largely down to the performance of two men. Captain Hans Andersen delivered his customary hefty haul of points by bagging a tactical-ride boosted 18, but no-one could have expected reserve guest Ryan Fisher to roar to an outstanding return of 10+1.

The speedy Edinburgh man – who found the tight turns of Eastbourne on Saturday something of a challenge – was far more at home around the big Blunsdon bends and earned rave reviews for his contribution.

"While getting 40 points is by no means all that we expect in away meetings, it is an acceptable tally at a track where we never seem to go particularly well," admitted Panthers chief Swales.

"But it was another performance that told me we are on the mend and I gained far more encouragement from this than a lot of the defeats we have suffered at Swindon.

"We had a couple of riders who might have been a little down on the tallies I expected them to get, but having a reserve like Ryan bang in double-figures was a major plus."

It is difficult to imagine the departed Henrik Moller rivalling Fisher's fine performance which included a triumph in heat eight and a big role in an 8-1 when Andersen was deployed in the black-and-white helmet in the 11th contest.

Fisher provided plenty of fireworks with his sizzling starting and no-nonsense approach. He certainly isn't afraid to mix things up either – a point not lost on home rider Troy Batchelor who was given a shove towards the fence on the opening turn of that heat.

The young Aussie was quick to make his point in a spot of post-race handbags but Fisher was more concerned about returning to bag another second place in heat 14 and a surprise outing in the finale.

Fisher's form made sure a disappointing 1+1 effort from recent recruit Henning Bager (a man who appeared seriously down on power) and two-point effort from Claus Vissing (a rider sampling this tricky track for the first time) didn't lead to another away thumping.

Panthers' ironic upturn in form since losing influential rider Kenneth Bjerre to a broken femur also just about continued.

The rest of the Peterborough corps covered his rides adequately to notch up seven points, a return the stricken Dane would not have been guaranteed to manage at a track he loathes.

The extra responsibility clearly isn't taking its toll on Andersen who banged in a hat-trick of heat wins during another gruelling six-ride shift.

The meeting began and ended on unhappy notes for the Panthers captain as he found himself being passed by Swindon counterpart Leigh Adams.

Being pipped by one of the sport's living legends around his own track is no disgrace, but try telling that to Andersen.

"I shouldn't have let Leigh past, especially in the final race," he admitted. "I turned into the last couple of corners too tight and let him get the run on me.

"It was a disappointing way to finish, but it was another meeting in which we continued our improvement on the road."

Panthers were always in arrears after a 4-2 from the Mads Korneliussen/Travis McGowan combination gave the hosts the edge in heat three.

Their deficit grew to a maximum of 16 points after a couple of back-to-back Robins romps in the ninth and 10th instalments, but Panthers' hopes of victory were not ended until heat 13.