LEICESTER team boss Stewart Dickson believes it will be a “humdinger” of a Championship Play-Off semi-final second leg.
The Watling JCB Lions have to overturn a 49-41 deficit after a very difficult first leg defeat at Redcar.
But Dickson was clearly content to only be chasing that total after the home side made a cracking start on a wet Teesside circuit.
He said: “When we were trailing by 14 points after Heat 8, I would have certainly taken getting beat by eight.
“We had a wee chat after Heat 7 and the boys dug in, we obviously didn’t want to fall behind any further.
“The track was heavy but the same for both teams, that’s no excuse. But the big difference was that they were getting out of the start.
“In saying all that, we showed real fight to get into the meeting and come away with a lead we can overcome.
“It certainly won’t be easy because it’s very hard against any top four team to win by more than eight points. We’ve been unbeaten at home, so we need to give it everything.
But I feel it’s going to be a humdinger next Saturday.”
The Bears delivered three maximum 5-1s in the opening five races to leave the Lions well and truly on the rack.
But in the latter stages they managed to drag themselves back into the tie with two vital heat advantages. The first came in Heat 9 when home guest Richard Lawson’s machine gave up.
Then in Heat 14 Nathan Greaves crashed on his own in second to give the Lions an even more crucial 5-1.
Ryan Douglas, outstanding with paid 13, then beat Charles Wright and Erik Riss in the final heat to keep the deficit down to eight.
Redcar 49: Charles Wright 11+1, Erik Riss 10+1, Jordan Stewart 8+1, Richard Lawson 8+1, Kasper Andersen 6+1, Nathan Greaves 4, Tom Woolley 2+1.
Leicester 41: Ryan Douglas 12+1, Connor Mountain 8+3, Kyle Howarth 7, Scott Nicholls 6+1, Ty Proctor 5+1, Joe Lawlor 2, Ellis Perks 1.
