RYAN Douglas is expected to miss Leicester’s trip to Sheffield on Sunday (4pm) in their final Championship Shield group fixture.
Douglas suffered an alarming crash in Heat 14 of the Watling JCB Lions’ home win over the Tigers on Sunday, and is likely to need time to rest a shoulder injury.
The meeting is something of a ‘free hit’ for the Lions with their semi-final place already secure, but they will be keen to protect a record of scoring in every group match so far.
And continuing to build momentum is also important with their Championship league campaign set to get underway at Birmingham on Wednesday.
Boss Stewart Dickson said: “I don’t expect Ryan to ride at Sheffield. He has a shoulder problem, I think it popped out and then back in, so he’s a bit sore.
“I think we’ll be using rider-replacement there, which gives our other guys an extra race.
“It’s a pity because Ryan goes well there, he finished second in an Individual meeting there at the start of the season, but hopefully he’ll be back soon.”
The rider-replacement facility for Douglas will entitle all of the Lions riders with the exception of skipper Scott Nicholls to an extra outing.
Sheffield have won both of their home fixtures so far this season, defeating Scunthorpe 49-41 and then notching 56 points against Redcar.
Broc Nicol misses the meeting after his crash on Saturday, with Kyle Bickley stepping in to guest.
SHEFFIELD: Danny King, Drew Kemp, Kasper Andersen, Ty Proctor, Kyle Howarth, Zaine Kennedy, Kyle Bickley.
LEICESTER: Scott Nicholls, Ellis Perks, Josh Bates, Ryan Douglas R/R, Richie Worrall, Jack Thomas, Connor Mountain.
