SCOTT Nicholls will look to be Leicester’s calming influence in a blood-and-thunder play-off battle at home to Redcar tonight (Saturday, 6.30) – but admits to feeling like a kid at Christmas.
The Watling JCB Lions finished top of the Championship and now tackle the Bears in the first leg of a semi-final shootout at the Paul Chapman & Sons Arena.
Redcar had been due to host the opener but yesterday’s clash on Teesside was rained off and will now become part two on Friday, October 4
Nicholls, 41, has spent more than a quarter of a century in speedway, sampling every emotion as part of a stellar career.
And while he plans to use that to Leicester’s benefit, the feeling of racing in crunch clashes never gets old.
“The only thing that changes is your approach to it. You learn, mature and that leads to change, you look at things slightly differently,” said Nicholls.
“The excitement and enthusiasm when you reach semi-finals and finals doesn’t change and that’s why you do it, to have the sense of achievement and success that comes with winning.
“Hopefully I can add that little bit of experience to help the others, everyone has been going well and the way I see it we just need to concentrate on doing the same things.
You don’t change things if they are working.
“You learn to manage things in a different way. Of course you still get a bit nervous, there is still the extra pressure.
“I daresay if you wired up the boys to a heart monitor the readings would be a bit higher than normal because there is a lot more at stake, you have two meetings to do the job.
“We know how important it is to the management and most importantly the fans so it is a case of managing it all in a different way.
“When a big meeting comes up you try not to allow yourself to change many things and try to keep it all as normal as you can.”
Redcar will now track regular reserve Nathan Greaves after his recovery from injury, meaning Sheffield’s Broc Nicol is stood down.
Josh Pickering replaces Michael Palm Toft for the Bears with Steve Worrall deputising for his injured twin brother Richie Worrall for Leicester.
WATLING JCB LIONS: Scott Nicholls, Ty Proctor, Steve Worrall, Ellis Perks, Ryan Douglas, Joe Lawlor, Connor Mountain.
REDCAR: Charles Wright, Kasper Andersen, Josh Pickering, Jordan Stewart, Erik Riss, Tom Woolley, Nathan Greaves.
