Growing optimism and belief at Scunthorpe
THERE is real optimism in the camp of the FluidAir Power Scunthorpe Scorpions that 2014 can turn out to be a good season for the club, and that the dream of regaining the Premier League title won in 2012 could be turned into a reality.
The first task is to finish in the top six and qualify for the Premier League play-offs, although the Scorpions would actually like to finish in the top two, which allows them, to some extent, to control their own destiny come the play-offs.
Scunthorpe currently sit in fourth place, while the last two results have been a 49-41 away win at Sheffield and a 55-38 home win over second-placed Ipswich at the Eddie Wright Raceway on Friday, as the Scorpions seem to have shrug off the early season inconsistency that led to their elimination from the League Cup and Knockout Cup.
In particular, the win against the Witches was impressive. With No 1 Nicolai Klindt away on World Championship duty (replaced by guest Ulrich Ostergaard) and a 25-day gap since the last home meeting, the fixture looked like a potential banana skin.
But the meeting was almost over as a contest as soon as the Scorpions – firing on all seven cylinders – charged into an early 28-8 lead, with all three league points in the bag by the end of Heat 12.
Team manager Dave Peet refutes that the win over Ipswich was ‘easy’.
He said: “Beating a quality side such as Ipswich is never easy. If we made it look easy, that’s great. But there was a lot of hard work behind the scenes. We were on it and put in a professional performance.
“It was pleasing the way we rode. We knew it was an important meeting for us, and we knew we had to take all three points.”
Both Thomas Jorgensen and Josh Auty have recently made changes on the machinery side and the result has been there for all to see in the last two meetings, with Jorgensen unbeaten outside of Heat 15 and Auty having averaged 10.50 from the two meetings.
Peet added: “Thomas is now absolutely flying. His confidence is sky high. On Friday, when it came to Heat 15, we didn’t have choice of gates. Thomas just said: ‘Put me off any gate.’ It was such a shame when his chain went, because he looked sure to get a maximum.
“As for Josh, he’s a hard task master on himself and he says he’s not quite there yet, and I think would agree with him. But he’s definitely getting back towards what he’s capable of, which is being one of the best riders in this league. In the meantime, his scores have improved, and again it’s good for the team.”
David Howe, the club’s leading all-time points’ scorer, was also a happy man with Friday’s performance against the Witches.
Howe said: “It’s the first time we’ve stood up together as seven riders.
“It’s what we were hoping would happen from the start of the season, but it didn’t really. Up until now, when someone has been up, someone else has been down.
“But now we’ve got going as a team and hopefully we can keep going.
“Of course I was happy to score paid 12, although I was disappointed to drop my first point in my fourth race, because Ulrich (Ostergaard) and myself did have a plan for the first corner, where I was going to ride the inside and Ulrich was going to come around the outside.
“Unfortunately it was Morten Risager who came around the outside rather than Ulrich and by the time I realised that, I had left myself in a vulnerable position on the second corner.”
Howe was either sidelined or hampered by injury through much of 2012 and 2013, but he feels his form this season is heading in the right direction.
The 32-year-old said: “It’s been an up-and-down season for me personally so far this year. I’ve found a few issues, which we’ve rectified or are rectifying. I’m more happy than unhappy with the way it’s going; I’m much more positive this season.
“I’m getting back to what I’m capable of, and I feel my best form is just around the corner.”
