Home comforts were the story of Workington Comets’ season as they dominated once again around Derwent Park while struggling to fire on the road.

They were already fire-fighting before the season began as Ty Proctor first delayed his arrival in the UK before cancelling it altogether, leaving Comets a rider down weeks before the start of the season.

Rasmus Jensen came recommended by his countryman Kenneth Hansen and was brought in to plug the gap, then the tapes were up as Comets returned to the track in an Ian Thomas Shield clash at Newcastle.

A battling performance saw Workington go down by just two points but lose Mason Campton to injury.

It was devastating for the young Australian, who had already missed a full season due to the visa crisis in British speedway, but thankfully proved to be not as bad as first feared.

While Campton was sidelined, Comets were comfortable at home to Berwick in a Border Trophy meeting, which was eventually abandoned before the League Cup got under way.

Home wins over Redcar and Newcastle put Comets in a strong position to progress, then it was the turn of the Premier League.

A trip to reigning champions Edinburgh was not the ideal way to start the campaign but Comets competed well and only just missed out on a point.

The Monarchs visited Workington the following night and were emphatically beaten by a Comets team firing on all cylinders, before the tables were turned in a cup tie to forget at Newcastle.

May started promisingly with a hard-fought draw at Rye House in the league, although Workington would be disappointed at losing the lead in the final heat.

A swift exit from the Knockout Cup at the hands of Somerset followed, before a narrow League Cup win at Redcar left Comets just waiting on Newcastle’s results to decide whether they made the semi-final.

A difficult night at Plymouth saw Claus Vissing’s 13-point haul amount to nothing as Workington were well beaten, but Comets were able to bounce back the following night with a 55-37 win over Sheffield.

The Tigers got their own back with victory at Owlerton the following Thursday, before Comets secured revenge against Plymouth and made it back-to-back wins against Scunthorpe the week after.

It was almost three weeks before Workington were back in action and it showed with a dreadful performance at Berwick where everything seemed to go against the visitors.

Another two-week break meant Workington went into a home clash with Rye House lacking sharpness, but it didn’t show as no Comet scored less than six as they breezed past the Rockets.

In-form Somerset then proved too strong for Comets before they overcame a battling Peterborough side led by Craig Cook and Ulrich Ostergaard in a thrilling 47-43 home win.

Sandwiched between those two fixtures, Comets came agonisingly close to clinching the Premier League Fours, qualifying for the final on race wins before ultimately losing out to Plymouth by one point after a controversial decision to exclude Rasmus Jensen.

Steve Worrall’s 16 points from five rides gave Newcastle a chance but Comets blew them away thanks to double figures from Ricky Wells and Jensen.

Two defeats in a row followed as Workington travelled to title-hopefuls Glasgow and only just missed out on a point at Redcar, before a tricky 46-44 win over Ipswich.

By far, the lowest point of the season came against the Witches the following week in the club’s worst defeat since it relaunched in 1999, and a resounding loss at Scunthorpe rounded off a challenging August.

Comets made up for it with a first away win of the season at Peterborough in September, with Matt Williamson in particular in marvellous form to keep their play-off hopes alive.

But a shock first home league loss of the season against Glasgow virtually ended any chance of making the top six, with ex-Comets captain Rene Bach irresistible on his Derwent Park return.

That was followed by a tough trip to Newcastle which ended in a 57-33 defeat, before a fine performance saw Comets put eventual champions Somerset to the sword.

With just one Premier League fixture and the small matter of a two-leg League Cup semi-final to complete, it wasn’t just pride on the line for Workington.

A heavy defeat in the first leg across the border left Comets with a mountain to climb, before Kenneth Hansen’s spectacular display fired Comets to a 56-34 win over Redcar.

A thrilling 47-43 win over the Tigers brought the curtain down on a frustrating season for Workington, but one which had contained some of the most entertaining racing in the division.

It was another season of dominance on the track voted the best in the Premier League, but poor away form ultimately cost Workington a place in the play-offs.

Comets will hope that their revamped septet for 2017, spearheaded by the return of West Cumbrian racer Craig Cook, can finally bring the silverware fans have long craved.