Leicester have a double date with near neighbours the Coventry Bees this Easter Bank Holiday with first of all a trip to the Brandon Stadium on Friday. With three defeats on the road so far, the Rapid Solicitors Lions will be looking for an improved performance following their below par showing at Belle Vue on Monday when the team crashed to their worst result of the season so far.
“We showed real promise in our fixtures at Lakeside and Eastbourne but we just did not find our rhythm in Manchester. Not wishing to take anything away from Belle Vue whose 1-7 all delivered what was expected of them our Achilles heel was down to a lack of sharpness from the start-line. As a result we were forever in chase mode and it was hard going for our riders who were trying to find a racing line to make a difference” explained the Lions Promoter David Hemsley.
Leicester make one change to their line-up at Coventry as Simon Stead is required by Sheffield to race at Redcar on Friday. The club have booked Ricky Wells who will take Stead’s place at number four. Coventry meanwhile make one enforced change for the return match at the Jordan Road Surfacing Stadium on Saturday as Kyle Howarth is unavailable because he is committed to riding for Workington, his Premier League club and he will be replaced by a guest.
The back-to-back fixtures brings together the first league meetings between the two clubs since the Lions disappeared in 1983 and the matches will evoke memories of bygone days when the local derby clashes were the highlight of the season for Leicester and Coventry supporters.
“We had a fantastic turnout of fans for the Midlands derby against Wolverhampton last month and I can foresee a similar attendance for the visit of Coventry. There is an air of excitement amongst our fans and I am sure that the same aura is being replicated by many Bees supporters who themselves remember the days when Coventry last met Leicester. With two former Lions riders Jason Garrity and James Sarjeant in their side and the spectacular Chris Harris leading out their team there is plenty of talking points for fans to look forward to” enthused Hemsley.
After a season of pain last year which saw Coventry finish rock bottom of the Elite League table, owner Mick Horton vowed that this year would be very different in terms of results and he was the first to announce the full team before anyone else. It was a case of out with the old and in with the new as the Bees totally re-engineered the make-up of the team which meant there were no survivors from 2013. Though, like Leicester, the Bees have made an indifferent start to the season having picked up match points at Swindon but then lost three consecutive matches, one of which was at home to King’s Lynn last week.
Team Line-ups at Coventry
Leicester: 1. Jason Doyle, 2. Peter Ljung, 3. Mads Korneliussen, 4. Ricky Wells (Guest), 5. Patrick Hougaard, 6. Tom Perry and 7. Max Clegg
Coventry: 1. Hans Andersen, 2. Ryan Fisher, 3. Kenneth Hansen, 4. Kyle Howarth, 5. Chris Harris, 6. Jason Garrity and 7. James Sarjeant
Team Line-ups at Leicester
Leicester: 1. Jason Doyle, 2. Peter Ljung, 3. Mads Korneliussen, 4. Simon Stead, 5. Patrick Hougaard, 6. Tom Perry and 7. Max Clegg
Coventry: 1. Hans Andersen, 2. Ryan Fisher, 3. Kenneth Hansen, 4. Guest replacement for Kyle Howarth, 5. Chris Harris, 6. Jason Garrity and 7. James Sarjeant
