King's Lynn Stars' torrid summer continued last night when Andzejs Lebedevs quit the club.

The Latvian teenager only signed for the Norfolk Arena outfit in June but has now decided he wants to step down from his place in the team. The news broke just a couple of hours before Lynn's trip to Swindon Robins and becomes the latest blow – after a series of injuries, a points deduction and Seb Alden calling time on his spell at Saddlebow Road – to the Stars' Elite League play-off hopes.

But team boss Rob Lyon refused to be downbeat about the situation – especially after securing Kozza Smith's services for the evening as a guest booking in the 18-year-old's reserve slot.

'Andzejs has lost some confidence as he's not been riding on his own equipment,' said Lyon.

'He wants to come back next year, fully prepared, and ready to do himself justice on his own equipment. That's what it's all about. It's a genuine situation, even if it doesn't help our cause.

'I'm just getting a bit immune to it (bad news) all now now. We've had it all year. This is just the next one on the conveyor belt. We'll just deal with it the best we can and get on with it, like booking Kozza as a guest for the meeting.'

Lebedevs has received a 28-day ban from the British Speedway Promoters' Association (BSPA) for witholding his services, which entitles Lynn to use a guest facility to cover for him for the duration of that period. The Latvian, who rode for his team in this summer's Speedway World Cup, walks away on an average of 4.50. He rode for the Stars just five times and missed three meetings during his short-lived spell in Norfolk.