HERE'S our latest soundbytes and fixtures from around the tracks up and down the country.
THE BITE-SIZED BULLETIN
PIC OF THE WEEK...
Redcar Bears took another step towards the Championship play-offs on Friday with a 48-42 victory over Berwick at the Media Prima Arena. Picture: COLIN POOLE
PREMIERSHIP SOUNDBYTES"¦
BELLE VUE "We always put maximum effort into these meetings. We all want to be there in the play offs and with this result I think we've proved we can handle pressure, and we're not out of this yet." Aces reserve Jaimon Lidsey racked-up a best-yet 15+3 against King's Lynn on Monday and insists they will fight to the end in the race to reach the play-offs. NEXT HOME: Swindon (PSC Final), Thur Sept 12 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Peterborough, Thur Sept 5 (7.30)
IPSWICH "It is ruthless and harsh on the riders who have worked hard all season to get us into this position. It is not a pleasant thing to have to do but we look forward to having Niels in the team on Thursday." Witches boss Ritchie Hawkins has mixed emotions about the impeding double change at Foxhall, with Niels-Kristian Iversen and James Sarjeant coming in to replace Krystian Pieszczek and Edward Kennett. NEXT HOME: Poole, Thur Aug 29 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Poole, Mon Sept 16 (7.30)
KING'S LYNN "We are gutted we couldn't do better for the travelling fans, we appreciated their support driving to Manchester for us. We'll keep going, we need to make that top four. The boys want that bad." Stars man Craig Cook insists they will give it everything in a bid for a late climb into the play-off places after missing out in a key fixture at Belle Vue on Monday. NEXT HOME: Poole, Mon Sept 9 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Wolverhampton, Mon Sept 2 (7.30)
PETERBOROUGH "Ulrich is a great guy and has done great things for this club, he's one of the most popular riders we've had down the years. Hopefully this will give us all a bit of a lift as we prepare to return home next week after a long absence." Panthers boss Carl Johnson has moved to bring back club legend Ulrich Ostergaard with the news that Aaron Summers will miss the rest of the season with a broken foot. NEXT HOME: Belle Vue, Thur Sept 5 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Swindon, Thur Aug 29 (7.30)
POOLE "The past two meetings have been disappointing, but we're still in a great position. We want to finish top, but we will need to bring in some points soon to do that as Swindon are in great form." Pirates co-promoter Danny Ford is keeping calm following defeats on the road at Swindon and Wolverhampton in the last week. NEXT HOME: Wolverhampton, Thur Sept 5 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Ipswich, Thur Aug 29 (7.30)
SWINDON "Ipswich must be completely devastated, it must have been hard for them, but you have to give our boys credit. The reserves are doing well which makes a big difference, and after winning at Ipswich, beating Poole here, and now this result we've got to be happy." Alun Rossiter's Robins are on a roll, with Ipswich bearing the full brunt as the home side swept to a massive 66-24 home win on Bank Holiday Monday. NEXT HOME: Peterborough, Thur Aug 29 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Ipswich, Thur Sept 5 (7.30)
WOLVERHAMPTON "I think we all had one ride we weren't happy with as well and a couple of the boys were a bit frustrated with their scores - but we still managed to win by a pretty big margin so that bodes well." Strength-in-depth from Wolverhampton, led by Sam Masters with double figures, was enough to run up a 20-point win over Poole and keep the Monmore side firmly in the play-off picture. NEXT HOME: King's Lynn, Mon Sept 2 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Poole, Thur Sept 5 (7.30)
CHAMPIONSHIP SOUNDBYTES...
BERWICK "Bandits management have worked tirelessly to make sure they remain competitive and entertaining for the rest of the season and the signing of THJ ensures exactly that replacing Busk Jakobsen." Berwick confirm via Facebook that Tomas H Jonasson is joining the club for the closing weeks of the season to replace shoulder injury victim Nikolaj Busk Jakobsen. NEXT HOME: Newcastle, Sat Aug 31 (7pm) NEXT AWAY: Birmingham, Wed Aug 28 (7.30)
BIRMINGHAM "People shouldn't forget that Tom is a rider who has ridden in our league before and who has also ridden in the top league too. He's a very good all-round motorcyclist and he'd slot into that "˜entertainer' bracket we've mentioned a lot at Birmingham this year." Brummies boss Laurence Rogers confirms Tom Perry will take the place vacated by Jordan Jenkins, who quit the club last week as he is taking a break from the sport. NEXT HOME: Berwick, Wed Aug 28 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Eastbourne, Sat Sep 28 (7.30)
EASTBOURNE "That was outstanding speedway in my opinion. Redcar came to race and delivered some outstanding action on a track several of their top line riders had not seen before." Eagles director Ian Jordan paid tribute to both sides after a 50-40 win over Redcar as Arlington serving as a warm-up to a forthcoming KO Cup semi-final clash between the sides. NEXT HOME: Sheffield, Sat Aug 31 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Redcar (KOC), Fri Sept 6 (7.30)
EDINBURGH "It had just the right of dirt on it tonight, I quite enjoyed it. I feel I'm getting better, I just try to make improvements every week." Monarchs reserve William Lawson was happy with track conditions at Armadale in a 60-30 win over Birmingham which keeps them in with a chance of reaching the play-offs. NEXT HOME: Newcastle, Fri Aug 30 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Somerset, Wed Aug 28 (7.30)
GLASGOW The Tigers are set for a hectic run of fixtures prior to the Championship cut-off, with six matches to fulfil as they look to chase down Leicester in the battle to finish top before the play-offs. NEXT HOME: Scunthorpe, Sat Aug 31 (7pm) NEXT AWAY: Berwick, Sat Sept 7 (8.30)
LEICESTER "We're very pleased to have completed our 100% home record, especially with such a big crowd here tonight. We need to keep pushing now and try to carry this momentum into an exciting end to the season with plenty to race for." Stewart Dickson saw his Lions defeat Somerset 51-39 to make it ten wins out of ten at home in the Championship, with a big match to come at Scunthorpe on Friday as they chase top spot. NEXT HOME: Eastbourne (CS Final), Sun Sept 15 (5pm) NEXT AWAY: Scunthorpe, Fri Aug 30 (7.30)
NEWCASTLE "This was a win-at-all-costs match for us and the lads dug in hard to make sure that's exactly what we did. There were moments when we were a little concerned but we pulled it out of he bag when we needed to." The Diamonds got back to winning ways by seeing off Birmingham 54-36 at Brough Park to move off the bottom of the table, to the relief of boss George English. NEXT HOME: Edinburgh, Sun Sept 8 (6.30) NEXT AWAY: Sheffield, Wed Aug 28 (7.30)
REDCAR The Bears remain firmly positioned in the play-off places after overcoming Berwick 48-42 at the Media Prima Arena on Friday, even though they went down by ten points at Eastbourne the following evening. NEXT HOME: Somerset, Fri Aug 30 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Eastbourne (KOC), Sat Sept 7 (7.30)
SCUNTHORPE "We will continue to be professional for the rest of the season and fight for each point and fight to win each match. We want to win our remaining two home meetings, and hopefully get something away as well, and finish the season as strongly as possible." Scorpions star Josh Auty scored a paid maximum in the win over Newcastle and underlined how they want to finish the 2019 campaign on a high. NEXT HOME: Leicester, Fri Aug 30 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Glasgow, Sat Aug 31 (7pm)
SOMERSET "This is our last home league meeting and we need to make certain we win it, for whilst the league table shows us sitting in third place and therefore in a play-off berth, still nothing is guaranteed. With matches still to come we need points to be absolutely assured of extending our season." Rebels boss Garry May is urging his side to avoid slip-ups at home to Edinburgh this week as they look to protect their place in the top four. NEXT HOME: Edinburgh, Wed Aug 28 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Redcar, Fri Aug 30 (7.30)
SHEFFIELD "It's still mathematically possible to make the play-offs and with tough meetings to come, starting at home to Newcastle on Wednesday, we have to be at our strongest." Tigers boss Simon Stead explains the club's decision to bring back American racer Broc Nicol from injury at the expense of British youngster Drew Kemp. NEXT HOME: Newcastle, Wed Aug 28 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Eastbourne, Sat Aug 31 (7.30)
NATIONAL LEAGUE SOUNDBYTES"¦
BELLE VUE "Stoke pushed us very hard and we have to give them all due credit. They made it far from easy for us, but with this we can go into our home meeting with Cradley happy, and with great confidence." Colts co-boss Graham Goodwin saw his side move into the top four of the National League with an impressive victory at Stoke last Saturday. NEXT HOME: Cradley, Thur Aug 29 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Mildenhall, Sun Sept 1 (3pm)
CRADLEY The Heathens face three crunch away fixtures in the next fortnight which could determine their play-off chances, as they visit Belle Vue, Leicester and Plymouth. NEXT HOME: Kent, Mon Sept 9 (6.30) NEXT AWAY: Belle Vue, Thur Aug 29 (7.30)
ISLE OF WIGHT "I thought Ben (Morley) was magnificent again and Danyon (Hume) was the perfect replacement for Georgie. We desperately want to have a crack at the play-offs and the riders have just told me that they will do everything they can over the last three meetings." Warriors chief Barry Bishop saw his side keep their play-off hopes alive with a home win over Belle Vue at Smallbrook last Tuesday. NEXT HOME: Leicester, Thur Aug 29 (7pm) NEXT AWAY: Stoke, Sat Aug 31 (7pm)
KENT The Kings enjoyed an excellent Bank Holiday weekend with Drew Kemp and Anders Rowe lifting the Pairs title at Sheffield, before a big 59-31 home win over Mildenhall took them to the top of the NL table. NEXT HOME: Young Lions, Mon Sept 2 (6.30) NEXT AWAY: Leicester, Sat Aug 31 (7.30)
LEICESTER The Lion Cubs have agreed dates for their remaining home matches and face a busy period at home with meetings on the next two Saturdays as well as Tuesday September 3 and 10. NEXT HOME: Kent, Sat Aug 31 (7.30) NEXT AWAY: Isle of Wight, Thur Aug 29 (7pm)
MILDENHALL "Our recent home performances have seen us climb the league into a much stronger position but with two home meetings left and four away we do need to pick up a couple of away points as well as win our home meetings to secure a place in the play-offs with somewhere around 26 points looking the marker." Fen Tigers boss Malcolm Vasey sets the target for play-off qualification as the National League run-in continues. NEXT HOME: Belle Vue, Sun Sept 1 (3pm) NEXT AWAY: Belle Vue, Mon Sept 2 (7.30)
PLYMOUTH The Gladiators pulled off a remarkable comeback from five points down to defeat Stoke with three successive 5-1s in the last three races, and then finished a creditable third in the NL Pairs at Sheffield. NEXT HOME: Exeter Select, Fri Aug 30 (7.15) NEXT AWAY: Stoke, Sat Sept 7 (7pm)
STOKE "There's lot's of ifs and buts from this year with points being lost at silly times and lost in the final few heats in heats 13 and 15 by myself in those heats which were crucial heats. If we say, "˜well, this happened and that happened.' we'd be top of the league it's just how speedway is." A frustrating time for the Potters and skipper Tom Perry, as their play-off hopes were ended by two defeats over the Bank Holiday weekend. NEXT HOME: Isle of Wight, Sat Aug 31 (7pm) NEXT AWAY: Leicester (KOC), TBC
FIXTURE PICTURE"¦
WEDNESDAY AUGUST 28: CHAMPIONSHIP: Birmingham v Berwick 7.30, Somerset v Edinburgh 7.30, Sheffield v Newcastle 7.30
THURSDAY AUGUST 29: PREMIERSHIP: Ipswich v Poole 7.30, Swindon v Peterborough 7.30 NATIONAL LEAGUE: Belle Vue v Cradley 7.30, Isle of Wight v Leicester 7pm
FRIDAY AUGUST 30: CHAMPIONSHIP: Edinburgh v Newcastle 7.30, Redcar v Somerset 7.30, Scunthorpe v Leicester 7.30 CHALLENGE: Plymouth v Exeter Select 7.15
SATURDAY AUGUST 31: CHAMPIONSHIP: Berwick v Newcastle 7pm, Eastbourne v Sheffield 7.30, Glasgow v Scunthorpe 7pm NATIONAL LEAGUE: Leicester v Kent 7.30, Stoke v Isle of Wight 7pm
SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 1: CHAMPIONSHIP RIDERS' INDIVIDUAL: Sheffield 5pm NATIONAL LEAGUE: Mildenhall v Belle Vue 3pm
MONDAY SEPTEMBER 2: PREMIERSHIP: Wolverhampton v King's Lynn 7.30 NATIONAL LEAGUE: Belle Vue v Mildenhall 7.30 CHALLENGE: Kent v Young Lions 6.30
TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 3: NATIONAL LEAGUE: Leicester v Cradley 7.30
WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 4: CHAMPIONSHIP: Birmingham v Scunthorpe 7.30
THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 5: PREMIERSHIP: Ipswich v Swindon 7.30, Peterborough v Belle Vue 7.30, Poole v Wolverhampton 7.30
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 6: CHAMPIONSHIP: Edinburgh v Somerset 7.30, Glasgow v Berwick 7.30 CHAMPIONSHIP KO CUP S/F 1st leg: Redcar v Eastbourne 7.30 NATIONAL LEAGUE: Plymouth v Cradley 7.15
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 7: CHAMPIONSHIP: Berwick v Edinburgh 6.30, Berwick v Glasgow (follows previous fixture) CHAMPIONSHIP KO CUP S/F 2nd leg: Eastbourne v Redcar 7.30 NATIONAL LEAGUE: Leicester v Mildenhall 7.30, Stoke v Plymouth 7pm
SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 8: CHAMPIONSHIP: Newcastle v Edinburgh 6.30, Scunthorpe v Redcar 5pm NATIONAL LEAGUE: Mildenhall v Plymouth 3pm
MONDAY SEPTEMBER 9: PREMIERSHIP: King's Lynn v Poole 7.30, Peterborough v Swindon 7.30 NATIONAL LEAGUE: Cradley v Kent 7.30
TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 10: CHAMPIONSHIP: Glasgow v Newcastle 7.30 NATIONAL LEAGUE: Leicester v Isle of Wight 7.30
