LEICESTER will be going all-out to extend their winning run when they travel to King’s Lynn in their penultimate ROWE Motor Oil Premiership fixture on Monday (7.30pm).
The Watling JCB Lions already know they face a play-off semi-final with Ipswich later this month, with those matches to take place on September 9 and September 12.
But they have two regular league matches remaining against the Stars, with the home return coming up this Thursday (September 5), and wins in both by a total margin of at least 14 points would mean the Lions overhauling Sheffield and finishing top of the table – which could still be a major benefit in the Grand Final should they reach it.
Manager Stewart Dickson said: “We’re going to King’s Lynn to win, and I do feel we have a good chance of doing so, although they’ve had some good results at home lately.
“If we can finish top of the table that would mean we would have choice of legs in the Grand Final – and I must stress that is very much a case of if we get there, because we know we face a tough semi-final first and Ipswich will be pulling out all the stops to beat us.
“But if we do get to the Grand Final, we would want the second leg at home and that would be what our supporters want as well, to see the title decided on our own track.
“It would also be a great feather in our cap to ‘win’ the league stage and I can assure everyone that’s what we want to do.
“So that’s the incentive for this week, to go and win at King’s Lynn on Monday and that would then set things up for a big night at home on Thursday.”
Lions, who won 52-38 at the Adrian Flux Arena in early August, are ten matches unbeaten and name an unchanged line-up.
But they face a Stars side in their best form of the season, with the Norfolk outfit defying injury and availability issues to win their last four matches.
Lynn have Chris Harris guesting for the suspended Benjamin Basso and they also bring in Norick Blodorn and Simon Lambert with Nicolai Klindt and Patryk Wojdylo on the injury list.
KING’S LYNN: Chris Harris, Anders Rowe, Niels-Kristian Iversen, Norick Blodorn, Jan Kvech, Simon Lambert, Lewis Kerr.
LEICESTER: Max Fricke, Richard Lawson, Sam Masters, Luke Becker, Ryan Douglas, Craig Cook, Sam Hagon.
