Cameron Woodward has urged his bosses to get Eastbourne Eagles back up to strength as soon as possible.

Eagles’ play-off hopes are in tatters after Saturday’s 46-44 reverse to rivals Peterborough at Arlington.

It was their fifth successive defeat, their third in a fortnight at home, and was settled with a race to spare.

Eagles are operating rider-replacement for injured David Norris which left them needing two guests with Lukas Dryml and Davey Watt heading for a GP qualifying semi-final in Sweden.

Wolves duo Nicolai Klindt and Adam Skornicki stepped in but combined for just seven points, a score the missing duo would have expected to at least double.

That shortfall proved crucial on a night when Eastbourne at least gave it their all, even if not all their riders were on top form.

Woodward, who skippered the side in Watt’s absence and enjoyed a welcome return to form, said: “It was always going to be hard without Davey and Lukas. You can’t really replace them.

“We miss Floppy (Norris) at home for sure. He was always good for eight points at least from four or five rides.

“Once you have ony got six riders you can’t afford to have one rider have a bad night.

“That’s what we’ve been up against for the last two months.

“Hopefully we fill that void or Floppy comes back.”

Norris’s absence was exacerbated by the poor showing of the guests.

True, Panthers lost Ales Dryml and speedy Kenneth Bjerre to GP qualifiers.

But, starting from a seven-man team, they could use rider replacement for the latter.

They also found a good guest for their Dryml in Ulrich Ostergaard.

Skornicki’s poor night included a costly fall when Eagles were on a 4-2 in heat nine with Woodward well clear.

The Aussie had problems with his kill switch in the re-run and Claus Vissing and Ostergaard plundered their second 5-1 in as many heats to open a four-point lead.

Eagles were six points down going into heat 14 and the contest was over when Ricky Kling fell looking to complete a 5-1 behind race winner Woodward.

A spill for Niels-Kristian Iversen in heat 15 meant Panthers could not claim the fourth point for a win by seven or more.

But the home celebrations after a futile 5-1 by Lewis Bridger and Woodward in the re-run smacked of a club desperate for something to cheer.

Promoter Bob Dugard, still looking for someone to take over from him next season, has long highlighted the clash between domestic and international calendars.

His argument is that qualifiers for the following year’s series should be staged at the same time as the current season’s GPs to minimise disruption.

Eagles fans who cheered when they heard Dryml and Watt had been successful no doubt did so while quietly wishing their riders were at Arlington.

Others voted with their feet on a summer’s evening perfect for a night at the track.

Dugard said: “We had 800 people there and that’s because of the top men missing.

“Lukas is an idol, Davey is supposedly our No. 1 and we can’t compensate for that. That’s what international meetings do to you.

“We’re not on our own. I’ve had several promoters in the last few days saying we’ve got to do something about that.”

The debate as to how things should look next season has started earlier than ever this year.

There is talk of a new league combining Elite and Premier clubs in north and south sections.

Something along those lines, with up to 15 home meetings supplemented by a young National League side racing on GP nights, would be the dream long-term scenario for Eastbourne.

But, in the short term, they badly need a lift.

Eagles: Woodward 13+2 (6), Bridger 11 (5), Kling 7 (5), Gustafsson 6 (5), Klindt 5+2 (5), Skornicki 2+1 (4), Norris r/r.

Peterborough: Iversen 12+1 (6), Vissing 10+3 (6), Korneliusson 10 (6), Ostergaard 6+1 (5), Hansen 5 (4), Bager 3 (3), Bjerre r/r.