HEATHENS have been rocked by yet another injury blow after skipper Jon Armstrong crashed out of their 55-40 defeat at the hands of Buxton at Monmore on Tuesday.

The former Cradley club were already without top star Adam Roynon and key reserve Richard Franklin going into the meeting which they were desperate to win.

But they couldn’t handle the Hitmen who had Adam Allott in stunning form with a 15-point maximum

Armstrong came to grief in Heat 13 after a tough night and suffered a throat injury when his handlebars struck him. He was taken to hospital struggling for breath but was later stabilised and a further update is expected within the next 24-hours.

Buxton gave a solid, professional display and were given a sporting round of applause by the brilliant Heathens fans when they took to the track for a well deserved victory parade.

Heathens boss Will Pottinger said: “Our thoughts are with Armo and his family right now and we hope everything will work out well.

“It’s another disappointment but I think our fans realise our season has been ruined by injuries and we are certainly battling against the odds right now.

“We need to put our team together for the Isle of Wight on Thursday and hope to make an announcement later on Wednesday or early Thursday about that.”

DUDLEY: Ashley Morris 12+1, Jaimie Courtney 10, Tom Perry 7+1, Danny Stoneman 4+1, Jon Armstrong 4, Darryl Ritchings 3+1, Adam Portwood 0.

BUXTON: Adam Allott 15, Robert Branford 12+1, Luke Priest 7+1, Ben Taylor 7+1, Dean Felton 6+1, Paul Burnett 5+1, Ryan Blacklock 3.