Nicki Pedersen saw Eastbourne Eagles home in a last-heat thriller, then targeted more points against the skybet Elite League leaders.

Pedersen's fourth win of the night in a re-run race 15 ensured Eagles the 3-3 they needed to see off Belle Vue Aces 46-43 in what gradually developed into an Arlington epic.

Eagles defied illness, injury, falls, a controversial refereeing decision and a rare defeat for Pedersen in heat four, albeit by the reigning world champion, to delight a bumper crowd which looked to be 3,000 or more.

Now the busiest rider in speedway is setting his sights on at least a bonus point when the two teams meet again in Manchester tonight.

Pedersen, who won the Danish Championship on Friday and raced in a key Polish play-off meeting yesterday, said: "It's going to be close again.

"It's going to be a tough one but we'll do our best and see if we can get the bonus point.

"The whole team did a good job (on Saturday).

"The referee didn't help us. They don't like Eastbourne but we still won and the team are happy with that."

After all sorts of twists and turns, the contest came down to Pedersen and David Norris versus Kenneth Bjerre and Jason Crump in heat 15 with Eagles holding a three-point lead.

Norris came off in the first start, then again in the re-run, leaving Pedersen needing at least second place to complete Eagles' overall win.

Instead, he brought the house down hy leading all the way against his compatriot Bjerre and Aussie star Crump, the man who brilliantly got past him in the home straight in heat four.

Pedersen admitted: "You don't enjoy things like a last-heat decider, especially when there's a re-run.

"You don't really want that with Kenneth Bjerre, who's fast on the white line, on the inside, and Jason Crump, who's fast in the dirt, in lane three. But I stayed focus. I made really good starts all night.

"I was disappointed with the first one when he (Crump) just passed me at the finish line but I learnt from that.

"I'd rather he did that in heat four than heat 15."

Pedersen's 2-1 win in his personal battle with Crump was the headline act but the key for Eagles this season is strength in depth.

Boss Jon Cook reckons they now have the strongest reserve duo in the league after signing Oliver Allen to partner Andrew Moore.

All six home riders had heat wins, including Allen in his first race for the club as he led Moore for the only 5-1 of the match in heat two.

Apart from Pedersen, no Eastbourne man got into double figures but none scored less than a paid five.

The four replacement rides for injured Adam Shields brought in a paid eight points.

And David Norris, the man Eagles feared could miss the rest of the season, had the fastest home ride of the night by winning heat one in 55.8 sec.

The meeting, though, really caught fire after Norris hit the dirt in heat ten.

Eagles were clinging to a two-point lead at that stage and Dean Barker ensured they stayed in front by winning on his own under intense pressure from Joe Screen, who needed to have a dislocated shoulder popped back into place before he could race.

Moore, whose meeting seemed to be over when he suffered a migraine early on, returned for two points as Belle Vue took heat 12.

Pedersen and Crump enjoyed a 4-2 in heat 13, either side of Crump, to restore the advantage at 40-38.

Then Moore, who had been revived by a head massage, stole the show in fabulous style with a 14th-heat re-run win.

Andy Smith fell on the second bend but, before the red flag came out, Davey Watt also went down.

Referee Robbie Perks controversially excluded both riders from what became a two-man re-run, in which Jason Lyons got a great start.

Moore, though, came back at him, over-taking around the outside on bend four of the first lap for the win which gave Pedersen his three-point cushion for the final showdown.

Eagles: Pedersen 14 (5), Watt 9 (5), Moore 8+1 (6), Norris 6 (5), Barker 5+2 (5), Allen 4+1 (4).

Belle Vue: Crump 12+1 (5), Screen 10 (4), Bjerre 8+1 (5), Stead 6+1 (4), Smith 4+1 (5), Lyons 3+1 (4), Marsh 0 (3).