LEICESTER get their Championship title challenge back underway on Friday when they head to Redcar for the first leg of their play-off semi-final.
The meeting has been delayed by a week after poor weather on the original staging dates, and the tie will now be concluded at the Paul Chapman & Sons Arena next Saturday (October 12).
New averages for October mean changes to the line-ups which had been planned last week – with the big irony being that Richard Lawson, who was set to guest for the Watling JCB Lions, is now ineligible, and has been rapidly recruited by the Bears to stand in for the injured Michael Palm Toft!
Boss Stewart Dickson has therefore called upon the services of Sheffield’s Kyle Howarth to replace the injured Richie Worrall, after a number of successful guest appearances already this season.
Lions are otherwise at full strength with skipper Scott Nicholls retaining the No.1 position for the month of October and reprising his partnership with Ellis Perks, whilst Howarth teams up with Ty Proctor in the middle-order.
Redcar have strength in the heat-leader positions from British Champion Charles Wright, Riders’ Individual winner Erik Riss, and Lawson who is a former Bears team member. At reserve, both Nathan Greaves and Tom Woolley are fit to ride after recent injuries.
Dickson said: “We haven’t lost a meeting since the end of July, and we’ve won away at Birmingham and Scunthorpe, and at Eastbourne in the Shield, so we’re used to winning and hopefully that will continue.
“Play-off speedway is new territory for some of our riders but this is really where our captain Scott Nicholls will come to the fore, as he’s been there and done it.
“We’ve topped the table with a lot of hard work, and we don’t intend giving up on the title now. Redcar are a good side, set up similar to ourselves, but we feel we can beat anyone over two legs.”
REDCAR: Charles Wright, Kasper Andersen, Richard Lawson, Jordan Stewart, Erik Riss, Tom Woolley, Nathan Greaves.
LEICESTER: Scott Nicholls, Ellis Perks, Kyle Howarth, Ty Proctor, Ryan Douglas, Joe Lawlor, Connor Mountain.
