Lyons was unbeaten on the night at Perry Barr

Birmingham were grateful for the experience of skipper Jason Lyons as they edged Workington 48-42 in the Premier League at Perry Barr.

The Australian won all five of his rides as the Brummies came from behind to strengthen their play-off hopes.

"That was close. We won at Redcar but if we lost this one that would have counted for nothing," Lyons noted.

His fellow veteran Steve Johnston chipped in with 13 points, Richard Sweetman adding eight.

"The old heads again I think it was," said Brummies boss Graham Drury. "That was the reasoning for my change in the riding positions - their experience will augur well for the future for us."

Birmingham had Aaron Summers riding for only the second time since breaking his collarbone in June, and they gave a debut to Danish youngster Klaus Jakobsen.

But it was an exciting ride from teenager Kyle Newman that particularly caught Drury's eye.

"The one point when I could see everyone's heads lifting was when Kyle broke the tapes and then went off 15 metres to pass and England international like Andre Compton," he told BBC WM.

"That says such a lot for the lad and the spirit the lad's got. When he did that, I think that was the turning point."

The Brummies have six Premier League meetings remaining, four of them at home, and Drury is targeting a strong finish to the regular season.

"What we've got to try and do is improve a little bit every meeting, keep these seven riders together and peak at the right time when the play-offs come," he said.

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