Edinburgh have opened the Premier League campaign in the best possible way with a win at Arena Essex. While the Essex side may not be the strongest team at the moments following injuries to key riders, they did go through the Southern Group Premier National Trophy qualifiers unbeaten.
Monarchs now need to follow up this weekend with further wins over Reading at Armadale and against Glasgow at Ashfield. Both matches are certainly winnable although neither can be classified as easy.
Reading have made a mixed start to the season with some indifferent home performancs, including three defeats. They have been impressive away and have won at Stoke and the Isle of Wight. Reading usually go well around Armadale. Even the wooden spoon side of 1999 pushed Monarchs close at Armadale while most of the top Premier League visitors were blown away. While Italian Number One Armando Castagna is the star name in the Racers side, it is the Welsh Number One (or only one?) Phil Morris who tops their averages. Swede Per Wester completes the heat leader trio. Reading have two good second strings in Paul Clews and Krister Marsh. Shane Colvin and Marc Norris complete the team at reserve. Dave Mullett who was always a force for Reading around Armadale returns as team manager following.
Many Monarchs supporters will recall the great battles between Reading and Edinburgh in 1997. Reading won the inaugural Premier League championship that year after a three-way fight with Edinburgh and Long Eaton. Monarchs did get the better of the Berkshire rivals in the Cup semi-final paving the way to a win over Oxford in the final. This rivalry continued into the 1998 season, which started with Monarchs winning the Premiership home and away. Reading went on to take the runners-up place to Peterborough and won the Cup. On either side of these two great seasons Reading finished bottom of the League. They propped up the old combined British Premier League in 1996 and then suprisingly finnished last in the Premier League in 1999. They were strongly fancied to make an impression but never recovered from the loss of Dave Mullett with a broken leg and finished the season with a long sequence of defeats only halted when Edinburgh lost a replayed fixture at Smallmead.
Monarchs have faced last heat deciders in three of the last four Armadale meetings, Newcastle being the exception. They should be able to track a full strength team provided that Christian Henry has recovered from his neck strain and stomach problems and can sort out some machinery.
The team stays much the same as last week with Will Beveridge at number two partnering Eriksson. Kevin Little and Ross Brady stay as the middle pairing but swop positions with Little at number three. Peter Carr stays at number five. Christian Henry moves to number six while Blair Scott is back at number seven.
The real test will come at Glasgow this Sunday. This fixture has been tight in recent years. Monarchs have enjoyed a period of ascendancy over Tigers in the late 1990s just as Tigers dominated in the early 1990s. While Monarchs have several wins in Glasgow over the past five or six years but only one in the Premier League.
In 1995 Monarchs lost out after a last heat decider by 49 to 47. In 1997 Edinburgh came up with a last heat 5-1 to win 46-44. In 1998, Monarchs lost 46-44 at Shawfield. Last year at Ashfield it went to another last heat decider with Monarchs needing a 5-1 to win. Tigers took a five-one to win by the cmparatively wide margin of 49-43.
The two encounters at Ashfield this year could hardly have been closer. Monarchs drew 45-45 in the Spring Trophy and lost 45-44 in the Premier National Trophy. Since those match, both Glasgow and Edinburgh have strengthened up. Mark Courtney has come in for brother Sean for Glasgow. Will Beveridge, a sometime heat leader for Glasgow at Ashfield last year has joined Monarchs effectively replacing Brian Turner.
Glasgow do have plenty of scope for further strengthening. They may well replace the struggling Richard Juul with a new nine-point overseas rider sooner rather than later. However it is unlikely that they will have a rider in place by this Sunday. Glasgow have rightly refused to pay money they haven't got to sign a rider for the sake of signing one. Brian Sands has refused to put the financial future of the club at risk. They are likely to wait until someone who can improve the team and who is affordable becomes available.
As things stand the fixture is certainly winnable for Monarchs, but it will be tough. Tigers are expected to recieve a boost with James Grieves due to return after injury. There is some doubt if Aidan Collins, who broke a finger last week, will be fit enough to ride.
If Monarchs can win these two fixtures, this will put them in a strong position in the League before contesting the Cup first round tie against Arena Essex next weekend. This will give Monarchs the opportunity to build up some confidence before the visit of Workington in two weeks time.
If Monarchs fail to win at Glasgow they will end up playing catch-up as Hull are already setting a blistering pace and there is every indication that Sheffield and Workington could do the same.
Although Monarchs are not dominating teams at Armadale to the same extent as last year, they do appear better equipped to pick up away points. This will be tested at Glasgow and subsequently at Berwick, Workington, and Newcastle before the two Southern tours in July and August.
Last year Edinburgh won only three away matches; at Arena Essex, Workington, and Stoke. This cost them dearly as Sheffield and Newport both did better away from home. If Edinburgh are to improve on last years' performance, they will have to win at places like Glasgow.