Scunthorpe Scorpions vs Newcastle Diamonds preview
FLUIDAIR POWER Scunthorpe Scorpions, supported by Henderson Insurance, will give a home debut to new signing Zdenek Holub at the Eddie Wright Raceway on Friday evening (7.30pm), as they look to record their third victory of the season over the Newcastle Diamonds.
The highly-rated 19-year-old Czech International will make his first appearance for the club a day earlier, at local rivals Sheffield on Thursday.
Holub comes in at No 1, in place of the injured Josh Auty. Scunthorpe are due to unveil another new signing next Monday, who will replace Ben Wilson, another Scorpion ruled out for the rest of the season through injury.
Scunthorpe promoter Rob Godfrey says: “It was far from easy to find a replacement for the rest of the season for Josh, but I think we’ve landed on our feet with Zdenek.
“King’s Lynn promoter Buster Chapman can’t speak highly enough of him, and I think he’s going to be a terrific signing.
“We need to catch the teams in front of us, and gaining a victory over Newcastle to take the three points on offer will help us close up the gap.
“We want to climb off the bottom of the Premier League table before the end of the season.
“Unfortunately, we’d had an enforced three week break in home fixtures. The previous home meetings against Peterborough and Ipswich were full of great racing and incident in front of improved crowds, and I hope everyone who came on those nights will come back.
“The Diamonds will prove a stiff test, especially with an old friend of ours, Tero Aarnio, as a recent addition to their line-up, and I’m sure another cracking night of action is ahead at the Eddie Wright Raceway.”
Friday marks Newcastle’s first fixture since Lewis Kerr’s dreadful accident in the Premier League Fours at Peterborough on Sunday.
Some terrific news is that Kerr is now out of the induced coma and is breathing for himself, but doctors has stressed it is still a ‘very serious situation’ and that he remains in critical care.
Godfrey adds: “I was at Peterborough and it was extremely upsetting, to say the least. Absolutely no blame could be attached to anyone or anything because it was a pure racing accident.
“When something like this happens, it puts a lot of other things into perspective. It’s always terrific how the whole speedway world pulls together at moments like these. Everyone at Scunthorpe Speedway passes on their best wishes to Lewis and his family, and he’s hoping for some more positive news very soon.”
A reminder of the special promotion, which will last to the end of the 2015 season, which sees all accompanied children under the age of 16 admitted for free to home Scorpions’ meetings.
“We’re always looking to attract more younger fans”, says Godfrey. “And this offer is part of that. It’s the school holidays, and if you’re a parent, I can’t think of a better way than keeping your kids entertained on a Friday evening than bringing them along here!”
There are 24 heats of action in total on Friday, with a nine-race second half including a six-heat Midland Development League match between Scunthorpe & Coventry.
Admission prices for Friday:
Adult: £15.00
Student/OAP: £13.00
Child (16 – 17): £5.00
Child (0 – 15) Free (accompanied by paying adult)
Family Ticket £35 (2 adults, 2 Children 16-17)
Match Programme: £1.00
Expected teams for Friday:
FluidAir Power Scunthorpe Scorpions, supported by Henderson Insurance: 1. Zdenek Holub, 2. Alex Davies, 3. Theo Pijper, 4. Carl Wilkinson, 5. Ryan Douglas, 6. Josh Bates (guest for Ben Wilson), 7. Nike Lunna.
Newcastle Diamonds: 1. Steve Worrall, 2. Rider replacement for Lewis Kerr, 3. Richard Hall (guest for Christian Henry), 4. Anton Rosen, 5. Ludvig Lindgren, 6. Simon Nielsen, 7. Tero Aarnio.
Midland Development League teams:
Scunthorpe Stags: 1. Jack Parkinson-Blackburn, 2. Stephen Whitehouse, 3. Jamie Halder, 4. Luke Whitehead.
Coventry Storm: 1. TBC, 2. Mitchell Beckett, 3. Robert Parker, 4. Kyle Roberts.
* Tero Aarnio comes in as the guest for the Scorpions in place of Ben Wilson at Sheffield on Thursday evening (7.30pm).
