Skipper Davey Watt insists Eastbourne Eagles’ team spirit remains intact after one of the toughest periods in the club’s recent history.

Watt top scored with 13 points as Eagles’ strength in depth clinched a much-needed 50-43 home win over Lakeside Hammers, for whom Lee Richardson’s five-win maximum proved in vain.

All six Eagles were paid for at least one win and a heat 15 3-3 for Watt and on-form Ricky Kling secured all three points to ease fears of being dragged into the Elite League relegation battle.

It was Eagles’ first success since beating Coventry seven weeks previously.

Since then they had taken just one point from a possible 29, suffered three home defeats, been shunted out of the play-offs by a league re-structure and heard promoter Bob Dugard announce he was stepping down.

Then came the ‘Lewis Bridger goes AWOL’ saga which, predictably, was a major talking point even with the teenager still in Poland as this meeting took place.

All of which made a couple of setbacks, and a change of mind by a referee, on Saturday seem like minor inconveniences.

Watt ran out of fuel on the last lap when leading double-points man Joonas Kylmakorpi in heat ten, allowing the Finn and Kauko Nieminen to nip in for a gift 8-1.

Cameron Woodward and Simon Gustafsson were awarded a 5-1 in heat 14 when Stuart Robson fell on the second lap, only for Hammers boss Jon Cook to tell referee Dave Robinson he could not declare a result at such an early stage of a race.

We all know referees never change their minds. But this one did after checking the rulebook and Kylmakorpi came out to win the re-run.

That kept the home lead at seven points but they got the 3-3 they needed in heat 15, even though Hastings-based Richardson sped clear to complete a highly impressive full house.

Watt, who has enjoyed a welcome return to form of late, said: “We were really upset with ourselves for letting a few home meetings go and we really had to bounce back.

“We are truly a team, not just a bunch of riders who turn up and pull on the same race suits every week.

“We all get along really well, it’s a true team spirit at Eastbourne and I’m really proud to be part of it.”

Quite how Bridger is welcomed back after his ban remains to be seen. There were a few boos from fans in the 1,200-strong crowd when his name was read out.

Trackside announcer Kevin Coombes later invited team manager Trevor Geer and Bridger’s grandfather Tony Thompson to say their piece during the mid-meeting interval.

Geer insisted Bridger had gone against clear advice from Eastbourne not to ride in Poland on Monday afternoon, hours before Eagles took on Belle Vue.

Thompson then underlined his grandson’s commitment to Eagles and said: “With all the rules and regulations, Lewis didn’t really understand what he was doing.”

Eagles will finish the season on a high all the time Lakeside asset Kling continues the form at reserve he showed against his parent club.

Having come a poor last in the reserves’ race, he went unbeaten in his next four outings before outgating the dangerous Kylmakorpi in heat 15.

Kling’s best win was his first, producing a strong first turn to beat star Hammers guest Bjarne Pedersen in a re-run after Lukas Dryml had impeded the Dane and been disqualified.

Dryml accidentally took Pedersen out again in their next meeting. This time guest Travis McGowan won the re-run as lone Eagle to force a 3-3 and Pedersen, who hit his head in his fall, was not seen again.

Eastbourne led by as many as 12 points, had four 5-1s and totalled eight race wins to the seven Hammers successes, which were shared between ex-Eagles Richardson and Kylmakorpi.

Perhaps more significantly, Lakeside had nine scoreless rides to just six by Eastbourne.

“It was good to get maximum points on a night when things went against us,” Geer admitted.

There are bigger battles to be fought yet but this show of spirit could not have been more timely.

Eagles: Watt 13 (6), McGowan 10+1 (5), Kling 8+3 (5), Woodward 7+3 (5), Dryml 7 (5), Gustafsson 5+1 (4), Bridger r/r Lakeside: Richardson 15 (5), Kylmakorpi 13 (6)^, Robson 5+1 (7), Morris 4+1 (5), Pedersen 3+1 (3), Nieminen 3+1 (5), Swiderski r/r.

Meanwhile, Lewis Bridger will make his Arlington comeback in the Elite League Pairs on Saturday, August 8.

The controversial but exciting teenager will partner Davey Watt for Eastbourne in a meeting to celebrate Eagles’ 80th anniversary.

They face a high calibre of opposition including Hans Andersen, Scott Nicholls, joint track record holder Chris Holder and Lee Richardson and Krzysztof Kasprzak, both of whom have completed maximums at the Sussex track this year.

The final Arlington meeting of the season will now be staged on Saturday, September 19, after the visit of Ipswich was put back by two weeks.

EL Pairs: Kasprzak and Risager (Belle Vue), Richardson and Davidsson (Lakeside), Iversen and Bjerre (Peterborough), Harris and Kennett (Coventry), Nicholls and King (Ipswich(), Andersen and Holder (Poole), Adams and Zagar (Swindon), Lindgren and Karlsson (Wolves), Watt and Bridger (Eagles).