Arlington darling Nicki Pedersen today hit back at his critics after a near-perfect display sent Eastbourne Eagles soaring back into the play-off places.

The little Danish dynamo reeled off five successive wins and totalled 17 points out of 18 as Eagles beat visitors Belle Vue Aces 53-37 last night, claiming an Elite League bonus point as they went third in the table.

Pedersen, pilloried by rival fans after his recent exclusion at Poole and criticised in the speedway press by former world champion Sam Ermelenko for his aggressive riding style, shone brightest on a fabulous night at Arlington.

His fans had prepared a banner reading "Leave Nicki Alone" aimed perhaps at Ermelenko, who was watching from the media gantry.

They were amply rewarded for their handiwork as Pedersen, along with team-mate Davey Watt, stole the show, especially after Aces' Jason Crump had been sidelined by a hand injury.

Arlington regulars love Pedersen's full-on style and he gives it full throttle off the track too.

He said: "I always give it a go and I don't knock anybody off. I always do my best "There has been some right rubbish said lately. The Eastbourne crowd love me the way I race.

"Other people don't like it but that's not my problem.

"Especially Poole fans. It's stupid. They thought I raced Matej Ferjan off the track last week.

"They kept showing it on TV and you can clearly see I didn't knock him off.

"I saw the (Eagles fans') banner and that was really nice."

Pedersen and Watt offered a fitting finale with a 5-1 in the final heat, though the Dane revealed he had been handicapped all evening by an infection in his right eye.

He said: "I could hardly see anything. Fortunately it was at my home track so I knew which lines to take."

A high-quality contest really turned Eagles' way in heats seven, eight and nine.

Race seven was a classic as Aces' Joe Screen rode a tight first bend to lead, only for the patient Pedersen to first hold off Jason Lyons, then out-manoeuvre Screen and grab the lead on the last lap.

Eagles built on that with a 5-1 in the eighth. Adam Shields, back after a fall in heat six, won comfortably and Andrew Moore punched the air as he held off Rusty Harrison to complete the maximum.

If that was good for Eagles fans, then their prayers were really answered in race nine.

World champion Crump, looking good for a third win out of three, suffered chain failure in the second lap and Watt's persistence was rewarded with his third win of the night for a 4-2, tying the aggregate scores.

Crump damaged his hand as he broke his fall, leaving Eagles on course for the bonus point.

Screen screamed past Dean Barker on the back straight to revive Aces in heat 12 but Pedersen replied with another outside-line masterclass to swoop past the fast-starting Kenneth Bjerre before Watt and Moore enjoyed a 5-1 in the 14th.

While Pedersen and Watt starred, it was a team effort by the six Eagles which ensured their team did not flop in David Norris's absence. They picked up the minor placings to help Eagles lead 13-11 after winning just one of the first four races.

There was plenty of action in those early contests, including Pedersen's only dropped point as Crump, our of gate four, got around the home star's front wheel to take race four.

There was also a decent ride from Anglo-Aussie Joel Parsons, brought in from Hull to replace Steen Jensen, as he got past Simon Stead before being pipped back into second.

Watt's great night was highlighted by a dramatic heat five, chasing down Bjerre and Andy Smith from gate four to turn what looked like an Aces 5-1 into an Eagles 4-2.

The hosts never looked back from then.