Jon Cook today admitted his Eastbourne Eagles need favours from elsewhere if they are to revive their fading play-off dreams.

Eagles blew an early eight-point lead to lose 49-41 at Oxford last night, their sixth defeat in the last seven Skybet Elite League meetings.

They lost their way after guest replacement Billy Janniro fell in heat six, though the bonus they picked up on aggregate scores leaves them just one point behind fourth placed Poole with two matches to go.

Eagles boss Cook admits his team's chances of making the play-offs are slim but added: "We've got to get the most we can out of our last two meetings so we don't have any regrets if someone does us a favour against Poole.

"Our chances of winning this one bounced away down the track with Billy Janniro when he fell.

"He carried on bravely but with that and Davey Watt having a night to forget we just couldn't make the most of our early position."

Eagles won three of the first five races but just one of the next ten and were outscored 18-6 in a decisive four-race period starting from heat six.

Their tormenter in chief was home debutante Freddie Eriksson, who scored four wins. Two of them when Oxford riders had suffered mechanical failure and the Eagles were scenting heat advantages.

Adam Shields had wins over both Oxford's big scoring Americans, Greg Hancock and Billy Hamill, in the first five heats as the Eagles took an early eight points lead.

With captain Dean Barker holding off Hancock on the inside, Shields led a 5-1 in the opening race to send Eastbourne moral soaring.

The visitors extended their advantage to 16-8 in the fourth heat, Andrew Moore getting an absolute flyer to lead all the way as Janniro shut out Travis McGowan on the final bend to clinch a 5-1.

Janniro hit the air sent in the home straight in heat six. Oliver Allen prevented a 5-1 as Hancock won the re-run.

But Oxford were level after eight heats as McGowan scored two successive wins. The second as reserve switch for Chris Mills.

Hamill and Eriksson followed that with the most comprehensive of 5-1s against Janniro and Allen to put Oxford in charge of the match.

Barker expertly held off Hancock to win a thrilling heat ten and claim a 4-2 for Eagles but Hancock came straight back out as rider-replacement for Niels-Kristian Iversen and thwrted Shields as the home team took a 4-2 of their own.

That left Eagles needing to overturn a 35-31 deficit as an interval was called with four heats remaining.

It was Eriksson who defide Eagle's attempt as a comeback in the final races, scoring two successive wins to force 3-3s each time and keep the 4 points gap in tact.

When Hancock and McGowan teamed up to perfection for a heat 14 maximum the contest was over.

And so too, in all probability, was Eastbourne's attempt to reach the play-off.

Oxford: Eriksson 14 (6), McGowan 14 (7), Hamill 10 plus 4 (6), Hancock 9 (5), Kramer 1 (3), Mills 0 (3).

Eagles: Shields 11 plus 1 (6), Barker 10plus 3 (6), Moore 10 (5), Janniro 5 plus 1 (5), Allen 3 plus 1 (4), Watt 2 plus (4).