James Grieves may miss the away leg of the Premier League Cup against Newcastle next week.
The match has been brought forward to 1.30PM to avoid Newcastle United's 'victorious' return to Tyneside with (or without!) the FA Cup. The British Final of the World Championships takes place the same afternoon at Coventry and James qualified as first reserve in the semi-finals.
So James faces the prospect of missing an important cup tie in order to travel to Coventry without any guarantee that he will even get a ride. In the past, the BSPA have insisted on the reserve attending. This last affected Monarchs when Scott Lamb had to attend the British Final in 1994.
If James is forced to attend Coventry, Monarchs will be obliged to use a guest or go with rider replacement. Neither is a particular inviting option especially against the team with the best recent record against them.
The problem is that James is still on his first Green Sheet Average of 7.86. This compares with his current Green Sheet Average of over nine points. However, that will only take effect from next month.
This low average of 7.86 restricts the choice of guests although Paul Pickering, a Brough Park specialist, and Neil Collins might fit the bill.
Rider replacement appears to be a worse option since James dropped below Kevin Little for the April averages. This will give extra rides to Kevin Little, Ross Brady, Blair Scott and Stewart McDonald.
There remains a possibility that, provided no rider drops out from the British Final before the day, James will not be forced to travel.
The task that faces Monarchs is to get a big enough lead at Armadale to win with or without the participation of James at Brough Park.