Lewis Bridger admits he used to go home depressed for two days every time he tasted life in the most pressurised environment in league speedway.

For a while he would dread going back. Then the hurt would ease and he would be counting the days until his next crack at the big one.

The big one is speedway-crazed Poland. And the 18-year-old Eastbourne Eagles rider is hoping he might be on the way to making an impression after a flying start to the season with top-flight Czestochowa.

Bridger was second in his first two races of the year in a 69-23 home mauling of Tarnow.

But those second places came in support of victorious team-mates Mateusz Szczepaniak and Nicki Pedersen, meaning they count as wins on his pay slip.

He was poised to make it a hat-trick after a great start in heat 12, only to slip from second to last after making a couple of errors.

Which just went to show that even whipping boys like Tarnow are good enough to punish the slightest slip.

As he tackled a series of TV and newspaper interviews in the media scrum afterwards, Bridger was entitled to smile.

He has shed a few pounds and seemingly sharpened up his act since that miserable episode in pre-season when he walked out of training camp. He has also thought a bit more about what equipment he wants to use.

And, in the words of world champion and his former Eagles captain Nicki Pedersen: "He now knows when he has to keep his mouth shut and listen."

Bridger admitted: "Last year I struggled so much. Every time I got back from Poland I was down for two days and just didn't want to come back.

"After three or four days I was keen again and wanted to come back here.

"I was always using the club's equipment and now I've brought my own engine out.

"This wasn't really a tough meeting but it's still an Ekstraliga meeting against Tarnow.

"Maybe I should have changed things for my last ride because the track had slickened off.

"I went out wide to the dirt and my bike didn't really hook up. When you get filled in here it's pretty tough.

"But I really enjoyed it. Paid-six and it's not like I've had four or five rides."

As with many Polish towns, the speedway stadium in Czestochowa is the centre of activity on a Sunday.

The grounds outside are used for a busy market, then that is cleared away as the first engines start roaring in the pits and groups of crowd control stewards, dressed menacingly in all black, start patrolling fully three hours from tapes up.

Top riders like Pedersen and Sebastian Ulamek are idolised by the 11,000 crowd. Young fans on bend two welcome their heroes with scarves and a massive banner held aloft, streamers sent flying on to the track and flares billowing out coloured smoke. Their chanting and pre-planned displays continue throughout the match.

Elsewhere, supporters sit in gangways or stand two deep at the back of the towering stands to get a better view of key parts of the track.

But for the reserves like Bridger it can be far from glamourous.

You book the cheapest early-morning flight you can to Krakow or Katowice, then arrive at the track to find your name is not even in the match programme.

There is just a blank left for the young reserve.

You get one guaranteed ride, in heat one off an outside gate. Struggle there and your match is over.

Do well and the manager might call you into a later race.

Happily for Bridger he did well this time. Quick off the start, he held on for a paid win and celebrated with a trademark wheelie.

That clinched him another race and his team riding with Pedersen in heat six earned him a third outing.

No one is immune from the cold shoulder though as senior colleague Lee Richardson found when he was temporarily axed two races into the season.

Bridger revealed: "We've been told the worst scorer from every meeting will be replaced by another rider the next week.

"Me and Tai Woffinden (of Rye House) are fighting for the reserve spot. One week he might be in it if I have a bad one or I might get in.

"I think that's good because we're mates and we're not racing each other but it will keep us both wanting to win races and do the best we can.

"The atmosphere is unreal. Eastbourne has been a great atmosphere but it's another thing here.

"I've only brought one of my engines over here. I've never tested it or anything before.

"I'm really happy with it, though. Maybe I needed a slightly softer engine for this meeting because there wasn't as much dirt on the track as there was here on Friday when I was really fast."

Czestochowa clearly think they have an unpolished diamond in Bridger.

Club chairman Marian Maslanka said: "Lewis is a very big talent. Some things are still not good but working together with Martin Hagon at Eastbourne we will bring Lewis good results.

"Lewis has ambition. He wants a good result every time and that is important. But sometimes he doesn't prepare well.

"We had a serious discussion with Lewis. He looks much better now. More professional, less kilos, and thinking about speedway.

"That has to be the future for Lewis."