A BUSY spell gets started for Sheffield with a trip to reigning champions Ipswich on Thursday (July 16, 7.30pm).
The Tigers will face 11 league fixtures between now and the end of August in a run which will be pivotal to their season’s potential fortunes.
The Owlerton outfit dropped out of the play-off positions following last Thursday’s home loss at the hands of King’s Lynn - but have ridden the least amount of meetings out of all the top-flight sides to date.
The journey to Suffolk gives them another opportunity to add to their tally though, especially with the Tigers leading 52-38 on aggregate following their late rally against the Witches in the Steel City at the beginning of May.
The Tigers welcome reserve Jye Etheridge back into the line-up after missing the last outing whilst Northampton captain Nicolai Klindt has been booked to guest against the club he would have represented in 2020/21 but for the pandemic.
Team manager Simon Stead said: “We need to dust ourselves down and pick ourselves back up after losing at home last week.
“We’ve got a team of seven riders and I think that will benefit us massively compared to using R/R to cover Jack (Holder) at No.1.
“We know we’re more than capable of going to Ipswich and getting a result and if we could manage to do that again, then that would get us right back on track.”
Ipswich have Richard Lawson returning from illness and are also hopeful that captain Danny King will be fit enough to make a comeback from rib injuries. Meanwhile, in-form Belle Vue youngster William Cairns guests at No.6 for the Witches in place of the injured Kevin Juhl Pedersen.
IPSWICH: Tom Brennan, Danny King (if fit), Richard Lawson, Scott Nicholls, Tobiasz Musielak, William Cairns, Jason Edwards. SHEFFIELD: Nicolai Klindt, Anders Rowe, Chris Holder, Leon Flint, Josh Pickering, Jye Etheridge, Luke Killeen.
