Photo Gallery: Elite League: King’s Lynn Stars 39, Swindon Robins 51

A miserable 24 hours for Lynn was compounded tonight as they slipped to their second home defeat of 2013.

The Stars suffered a huge blow on Tuesday when Simon Stead broke his leg and ankle while practising at the Norfolk Arena. And it didn't get any better when the six-man Saddlebow Road side endured their heaviest loss of the term on their own shale.

In an action-packed clash in front of the Sky Sports cameras, there were thrills and spills. But too many didn't go in Lynn's favour as the champions exacted revenge for their 54-40 mauling in Nelson's County earlier this term.

The result was enough to see Swindon leapfrog Norfolk's Elite League outfit into third – who in turn slipped a place to fifth. However, it was not a disastrous defeat and the Stars still harbour serious hopes of reaching the top four - especially if they can take points off the Robins in the return fixture tomorrow.

The evening got off to the worst possible start when Niels-Kristian Iversen's engine failure robbed Lynn of a certain 5-1 maximum in the opener. The Dane and Richie Worrall had led from tapes up but it was left to the latter to pick up a race win after the Stars' number one's misfortune.

And that bad luck continued in the third when Worrall was leading, being pushed hard by Peter Kildemand, and third-placed Eddie Kennett hit the deck. To the dismay of the crowd referee Dave Robinson called for a re-run – even through the hosts' Englishman had started his fourth lap.

Worrall failed to win the re-run and a fired up Robins' outfit took control of the meeting with some hard racing and fast gating from there on in.

The visitors' cause was helped when Robinson made another controversial decision in the seventh after a horrible incident. Kildemand's chain appeared to snap on the top bend propelling him into the shale with a thud. Somehow, somehow, Rory Schlein avoided running straight over him but as a result ploughed into the air fence.

It was a similar third-lap crash to what had happened earlier on in the evening. However, much to the anger of the home faithful – and Norfolk Arena supremo Buster Chapman – the man calling the shots up in the referee's box awarded the race.

Every time Rob Lyon's men looked to be staging a mini-revival, by leading a race or closing the gap on the Wiltshire club, they couldn't quite see it through.

A much-needed heat advantage finally came in the 10th when Iversen's brilliant cut-back on the first turn saw him dart from fourth to first. It helped narrow the gap to four, yet any hopes of a late comeback were put to bed when Kildemand and Ashley Birks picked up the first 5-1 to leave Lynn eight behind with three to go – a deficit they never looked like overhauling.

Lynn (number of rides): Iversen 10 (5), Worrall 6+2 (5), Alden 8+1 (5), Schlein 7 (5), Porsing 3+1 (5), Lebedev 5 (5)

Swindon: Harris 6+2 (4), Morris 7+2 (4), Kildemand 8+1 (5), Kennett 6 (4), Batchelor 14 (5), Birks 8 (5), Gathercole 2 (3)