HERE'S our latest soundbytes and fixtures from around the tracks up and down the country.
THE BITE-SIZED BULLETIN
PIC OF THE WEEK...
A dramatic Friday night at Armadale saw Edinburgh come from 10-points behind to secure a 45-45 Championship draw against visitors Birmingham. Picture: JACK CUPIDO
PREMIERSHIP SOUNDBYTES"¦
BELLE VUE "Sheffield are a solid team and they did a good number on us last week, and if I'm honest I was expecting things to be closer. They challenged us every step of the way and it was close for a while, but the scores reflect just how well we rode together as a team, and I'm really proud of the boys." Aces skipper Steve Worrall was much happier after his side ended a run of three successive 49-41 defeats by defeating Sheffield 54-36 at the NSS on Monday. NEXT HOME: King's Lynn, Mon Sept 13 NEXT AWAY: TBC, Play-Off Semi-Final
IPSWICH "It has been a really tough year and I am glad it is over. It gives the club an opportunity to rebuild in the off-season. We have been really well backed by our supporters and everyone who works at the club, but on-track we had too many obstacles to get over and we have not been able to give them the results they deserve." Witches boss Ritchie Hawkins admitted he was relieved to sign off for 2021 after his side suffered back-to-back defeats against title-chasing Peterborough to end their league campaign.
KING'S LYNN "Trying to plug the gaps with Injury Rider Replacement and Tac Subs and reserve switches is difficult to manage and juggle but the boys gave it everything. We dug in, we did everything we could and I'm proud of the efforts." Recently appointed Stars boss Alex Brady experienced a crash course in programme management after No.1 Richard Lawson suffered a collarbone injury during Monday's defeat at Wolverhampton. NEXT HOME: Sheffield, Thur Sept 9 NEXT AWAY: Belle Vue, Mon Sept 13
PETERBOROUGH "Jack did himself no harm for potential future bookings, and he did himself and the club proud. He rode very, very well and I was very pleased for him." Panthers boss Rob Lyon praised the efforts of guest reserve Jack Thomas, who stepped in for the injured Jordan Palin and scored an impressive eight points in Monday's 55-35 win over East Anglian rivals Ipswich. NEXT HOME: Sheffield, Mon Sept 20 NEXT AWAY: Wolverhampton, Mon Sept 13
SHEFFIELD "They were better than us and I'm not going to offer any excuses, we just weren't good enough. We need to lift ourselves for Thursday when we go to King's Lynn and we know the areas of the team where we didn't perform as we should expect." The Tigers have qualified for the play-offs but boss Simon Stead was far from happy with the performance at Belle Vue on Monday, and is seeking a reaction when they continue their away schedule later this week. NEXT HOME: Peterborough, Thur Sept 16 NEXT AWAY: King's Lynn, Thur Sept 9
WOLVERHAMPTON "It's the first time I've seen him on the parade truck with half a smile on his face. He's gradually getting to grips with it here." Wolves boss Peter Adams was delighted to see youngster Leon Flint, who has impressed in several away matches, contributing two paid wins in Monday's win over King's Lynn to keep them nine points clear of Peterborough at the top of the table. NEXT HOME: Peterborough, Mon Sept 13 NEXT AWAY: TBC, Play-Off Semi-Final
CHAMPIONSHIP SOUNDBYTES"¦
BERWICK "The riders of all four teams and the management of both clubs worked efficiently together to present a slick and professional show, run well and at speed. We also took two fabulous wins, the Championship against a side brimming with world-class talent chasing the play-offs, so it's been an excellent night all round." A successful double-header at Shielfield Park last Saturday saw both the Bandits and the Bullets secure victories over Kent, with boss Gary Flint delighted with their success. NEXT HOME: Glasgow, Sat Sept 11
BIRMINGHAM "We fancy our chances of a late run up the rails to bag a top six finish. Then when it comes to play-offs the pressure is on, but if we can make it we'll be underdogs so we wouldn't feel it. But we have to get there first and we can't afford to slip up at home which makes the Redcar meeting massive for us." Brummies boss Laurence Rogers says confidence is rising that his side can keep up their steady improvement and gatecrash the top six in the closing weeks of the season. NEXT HOME: Redcar, Wed Sept 8 NEXT AWAY: Edinburgh (KOC), Fri Sept 10
EDINBURGH "We've certainly got Drew Kemp to thank for getting us back into the match, taking four on the trot. I'm pretty sure Anders Rowe is going to come good too, and Archie Freeman could have made a major contribution in his third ride but for his bike spluttering." Monarchs boss Alex Harkess was relieved to rescue a draw from last Friday's home match against Birmingham, but the Armadale side may well now need points on the road in order to hang on to their top six place. NEXT HOME: Birmingham (KOC), Fri Sept 10 NEXT AWAY: Leicester, Sat Sept 11
GLASGOW "I'm getting there with the lines on the Glasgow track but some of the away tracks are a bit difficult, and sometimes it's the first time I've been there. But I feel really good and have a lot of confidence here in Glasgow and a lot of great support here." Tigers star Sam Jensen is ready for a big finish to the season with a play-off place virtually secure at Ashfield ahead of a bid for the league title. NEXT HOME: Plymouth, Fri Sept 10 NEXT AWAY: Berwick, Sat Sept 11
KENT The Kings secured a league point from their trip to Berwick last Saturday after missing out at Redcar 24 hours earlier, and now need to win their last three matches to have a chance of squeezing into the play-offs. NEXT HOME: Scunthorpe, Tues Sept 7 NEXT AWAY: Leicester, Sat Sept 18
LEICESTER "We didn't start off strongly but we soon came into our own and the track rode pretty well. All in all it was a good performance and I was pleased for the Thompson twins after a tough meeting at Scunthorpe on Friday." Stewart Dickson's Lions have very much solidified their position in the top six with a double victory over the weekend, winning at Scunthorpe on Friday and then following up by defeating Glasgow at the Paul Chapman & Sons Arena. NEXT HOME: Edinburgh, Sat Sept 11 NEXT AWAY: Redcar, Fri Sept 10
NEWCASTLE "The Diamonds are very much a big part of the speedway family, and are the oldest running club still operating out of its original venue. The work is now on to try and get Newcastle to the tapes in 2022, but although I am very sad to say, this will be without myself and Dave Tattum." Outgoing Diamonds owner Rob Grant has stressed that he very much wants to hand over the club this winter to another promotion who will be able to ensure their survival into the new seson. NEXT HOME: Edinburgh, Sun Sept 12 NEXT AWAY: Birmingham, Wed Sept 22
PLYMOUTH Plymouth wrap up their senior home campaign by celebrating the 90th anniversary of the club this Tuesday, before their league campaign concludes with trips to Poole and Glasgow. NEXT HOME: 90th Anniversary, Tues Sept 7 NEXT AWAY: Poole, Wed Sept 8
POOLE "We have a very solid one to seven although, it is such a shame to lose Stefan. I was really happy riding with him as we had a good understanding. He had just dropped to reserve, and it is such a shame to not have him out there. We are all in touch through our group messaging and he is in good spirits, and we all wish him the very best." Pirates star Steve Worrall says the injured Stefan Nielsen, who was hurt at Birmingham last Wednesday, remains very much part of the team effort as they push on in search of Championship honours. NEXT HOME: Plymouth, Wed Sept 8 NEXT AWAY: Scunthorpe, Fri Sept 10
REDCAR "Everyone at Redcar Speedway would like to thank everybody that helped us in the search for the missing items. We had thousands of people share our posts, help from local media and over £3000 raised through our Go Fund Me account. We are blown away by the support, kindness and generosity that has been given. The money from the Go Fund Me account will be a massive help when replacing missing equipment and damage to the recovered items." Bears racer Ryan Kinsley's bikes have been recovered after their theft early on Saturday morning, with a fantastic sum raised to help him replace tools, protective equipment and spares which appear unlikely to be found. NEXT HOME: Leicester, Fri Sept 10 NEXT AWAY: Birmingham, Wed Sept 8
SCUNTHORPE "Glasgow are a good side, especially around their own track, and yet today, we made them wait all the way to Heat 14 before they won the meeting. We'll dust ourselves down and move onto Kent on Tuesday." Scorpions boss Dave Peet says his side aren't far away from their target, despite double defeat over the weekend at home to Leicester and away at Glasgow. NEXT HOME: Poole, Fri Sept 10 NEXT AWAY: Kent, Tues Sept 7
NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE UPCOMING FIXTURES"¦
ARMADALE NEXT HOME: Kent, Fri Sept 17 NEXT AWAY: Kent, Tues Oct 12
BELLE VUE "I think overall this season everyone has improved in some way. We've had some big challenges that we've overcome, and we've all gained a lot of experience so that in itself is a win for us." Colts star Jack Parkinson-Blackburn says there are still positives to take from the season even thought they ended their home campaign with defeat against Mildenhall last Friday. NEXT AWAY: Kent, Tues Sept 21
BERWICK NEXT AWAY: Mildenhall, Sun Sept 26
KENT NEXT HOME: Belle Vue, Tues Sept 21 NEXT AWAY: Armadale, Fri Sept 17
LEICESTER NEXT HOME: Kent, Sat Sept 25 NEXT AWAY: Mildenhall, Sun Sept 12
MILDENHALL NEXT HOME: Leicester, Sun Sept 12 NEXT AWAY: Armadale, Fri Oct 1
FIXTURE PICTURE"¦
TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 7: CHAMPIONSHIP: Kent v Scunthorpe 6.30 90TH ANNIVERSARY: Plymouth 7pm
WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 8: CHAMPIONSHIP: Birmingham v Redcar 7.30, Poole v Plymouth 7.30
THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 9: PREMIERSHIP: King's Lynn v Sheffield 7.30
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 10: CHAMPIONSHIP: Glasgow v Plymouth 7.30, Redcar v Leicester 7.30, Scunthorpe v Poole 7.30 CHAMPIONSHIP KO CUP Q/F 1st leg: Edinburgh v Birmingham 7.30
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 11: CHAMPIONSHIP: Berwick v Glasgow 7pm, Leicester v Edinburgh 7pm
SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 12: CHAMPIONSHIP: Newcastle v Edinburgh 6.30 NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Mildenhall v Leicester 3pm
MONDAY SEPTEMBER 13: PREMIERSHIP: Belle Vue v King's Lynn 7.30, Wolverhampton v Peterborough 7.30
TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 14: CHAMPIONSHIP: Kent v Leicester 6.30
WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 15: CHAMPIONSHIP: Birmingham v Edinburgh 7.30
THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 16: PREMIERSHIP: Sheffield v Peterborough 7.30
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 17: BRITISH UNDER-19 FINAL: Scunthorpe 7.30 NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Armadale v Kent 7.30
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 18: CHAMPIONSHIP KO CUP S/F 1st leg: Leicester v Poole 7pm BRITISH YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIP Round 6: Plymouth 7pm
SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 19: CHAMPIONSHIP: Glasgow v Leicester 6pm, Newcastle v Birmingham 6.30
MONDAY SEPTEMBER 20: PREMIERSHIP: Peterborough v Sheffield 7.30
TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 21: NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Kent v Belle Vue 6.30
