COVENTRY Buildbase Bees came so close to a second away win of the season in Manchester on Monday - but were finally edged out in the last heat.

Bees took the lead in Heat 7 and held the advantage right through until a final race 5-1 from Jason Crump and Charlie Gjedde rescued the points for the Aces.

The visitors were, in fact, 37-29 to the good with four heats to go, and although the home side clawed back two points in Heat 12, it was the events of the next race which would prove crucial.

The Aces had the impeccable Jason Crump in the race, but a 3-3 behind the Australian would have suited Bees down to the ground. In the event, Billy Forsberg sliced through on the second bend and as Rory Schlein tried to respond, he crashed and was excluded from the re-run.

Worse was to follow when returning skipper Chris Harris, racing side by side with Forsberg, straightened into the path of his opponent and was also excluded as the Swede took a tumble.

It gifted the home side a 5-0 to slash the gap back to one point, a margin which was maintained when Simon Stead won Heat 14 for the Bees.

A 3-3 in Heat 15 would have secured victory, but Gjedde managed to split Schlein and Harris in the early stages - although Schlein briefly challenged Crump - and then the Dane sparked celebrations for the Aces when he rounded Schlein at the end of lap two to set up a 5-1.

It was a major disappointment for the Bees, who had given virtually the perfect away performance for the first two thirds of the meeting with former Belle Vue riders Stead and Schlein very much looking the part on their old home track.

Ben Barker, in for the injured Olly Allen, scored in every ride and gave Bees some middle-order strength in the absence of Billy Janniro, but the events of the last three races proved just too costly.

BELLE VUE 46: Jason Crump 15, Charlie Gjedde 12+1, Billy Forsberg 7+1, Patrick Hougaard 7+1, James Wright 3+1, Nick Simmons 2, Joe Scren r/r.

COVENTRY 43: Simon Stead 12+1, Rory Schlein 11, Chris Harris 7, Ben Barker 6+3, Andreas Messing 6+1, Stan Burza 1+1, Billy Janniro r/r.