LEICESTER can take another step towards the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership play-offs with a positive result at King’s Lynn on Monday.
The Watling JCB Lions did their cause a great deal of good by adding two points to their total at Sheffield last Thursday thanks to a ‘draw’ after 15 races along with the aggregate point.
It leaves them two points behind fourth placed Oxford, who edged to a fortunate win over Birmingham at home, but who are running out of matches with the Lions still having four in hand.
Weather permitting, three of those will take place before the Spires are next in action, as the Lions also have home and away clashes with the Brummies to come over the next week, starting at home on Thursday.
But the first job is in Norfolk and it could prove a tricky encounter with King’s Lynn themselves not out of play-off contention due to their matches in hand.
The Stars have had all sorts of problems to contend with this season, including injuries, but they have pulled off several notable results at home, and crucially they are finding it far easier to assemble competitive line-ups for their Monday fixtures rather than those on Thursday.
Hence this week, with only one other Premiership match taking place, they have managed to recruit Adam Ellis and Chris Harris to fill their gaps, whilst rider replacement continues to operate for Benjamin Basso who made his return from injury in Poland at the weekend but is not fit for this meeting.
For the Lions, who lead 47-42 for the aggregate point, Craig Cook remains ruled out for personal reasons, and they will bring in Lewis Kerr, who has ridden for both clubs in the past, as a guest at reserve.
Manager Stewart Dickson said: “Without being disrespectful to our opponents, it really doesn’t matter who they’ve got, because if we ride to what we can, we’ve got a chance of getting something.
“I do realise they are strong at reserve, so that is something of a concern. Results have shown that Anders Rowe has come on massively, and fair play to him, and (Patryk) Wojdylo is very good around there.
“But then at the top end it’s the sort of meeting where Max Fricke should be able to lead from the front, because they don’t have a top rider like him in their team.
“What they do have, though, is a really solid look about them, but three of my riders were guesting there last week and I don’t think that can do us any harm.
“Firstly we need to go there and protect what we’ve got, and if we can do that it will be good, and after that we can get greedy and if we think we can win it, we go and do it.”
Lions fans not making the trip to the Adrian Flux Arena should note the match will be live streamed on the British Speedway Network with passes available from https//watch.britishspeedway.co.uk .
KING’S LYNN: Adam Ellis, Benjamin Basso R/R, Jan Kvech, Niels-Kristian Iversen, Chris Harris, Patryk Wojdylo, Anders Rowe.
LEICESTER: Max Fricke, Richard Lawson, Sam Masters, Luke Becker, Ryan Douglas, Lewis Kerr, Sam Hagon.
