EDINBURGH Monarchs boss John Campbell believes the chance to go top of the Premier League on their own could be the spur which sees the Capital speedway outfit end their long losing streak at Smallbrook Stadium when they visit the Isle of Wight Islanders tonight.
Monarchs managed a draw at the tricky Island circuit a few years ago – but since then they have struggled to give a good account of themselves.
But, after Monarchs' excellent 48-41 victory at Reading Racers on Sunday which saw them assume joint le
adership of the table with Somerset Rebels, Campbell says there is a genuine feeling in the camp that a shock victory could be on the cards.
"We will not be going to the Isle of Wight with our normal defeatist attitude," said Campbell.
"The spirit among all our riders is very high at the moment and anything is possible.
"We have Workington's Carl Stonehewer as a guest for William Lawson and Carl turned in a tremendous performance on his last visit to the island. He scored high double figures and, hopefully, he will do the same for us."
Swedish ace Thomas Jonasson, whose 12-point return proved crucial at Reading, will definitely ride despite being hurled over the fence by Racers No.1 Ulrich Ostergaard in the final heat of the meeting.
Campbell added: "Luckily Reading have an air fence and Thomas was fine and certainly didn't complain about feeling sore. He was in the bar for a short while after the match and was perfectly okay and I have no reason to think he won't line up for us this evening."
The battle between Monarchs and Somerset for the championship crown is hotting up and Monarchs' triumph at Reading – the Berkshire side's first home defeat in the league – will certainly have made the Rebels sit up and take notice.
The Monarchs boss added: "We did well at Reading in our recent Premier Trophy semi-final and always felt we had a good chance when we returned in the league. Thomas did exceptionally well in that Trophy match and I thought he was capable of scoring a maximum on Sunday.
"Had it not been for his spill he would have done."
Campbell also praised skipper Derek Sneddon, who top-scored with 14 points, saying: "Derek complained from quite early on that he was tired and couldn't do it. But, when I asked him to go out in heat 14, he responded brilliantly and won the race for us. He is driving everyone on and is a great leader."
No-one doubts the enormity of the task which awaits Monarchs as the Islanders have a pretty strong advantage round their big and fast home circuit. They crushed lowly Mildenhall 65-28 recently and it marked a personal milestone for Islanders' star rider James Holder, who chalked up his first UK 15-point maximum.
Isle of Wight chief David Croucher remarked: "If anyone had told James he would be riding above his assessed five-point average by July in his first season of racing over here, he probably would have thought they were nuts.
"But he has done it. I've watched him change over the course of the season so far. He has progressed so much and is enjoying his team place. James' idea of a bad night now is not scoring double figures at home."
Monarchs' second string Andrew Tully, who is finding points a bit harder to come by since moving into the team proper, acknowledges toppling the Islanders is a big ask, but added: "We are not thinking about how bad we have been against them in the past. We are focused on the present. And we all believe we are capable of winning every match."
The full article contains 635 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
