Edinburgh captain Kevin Little admitted that the dire performance in the Premier League Fours final at Peterborough had given his side a "right old jolt" and admitted that unless they improve dramatically the hopes of a Cup double will not be realized. The starting point for the fightback will be the Cup Final rehearsal against Arena Essex at Armadale on Sunday.
"Our fightback starts with this match. Arena are a very useful and improved team and cannot be taken lightly. It will be a good test for us."
Monarchs' shock elimination at the semi-final stage at Peterborough suggests that they have lost their edge after a good spell earlier in the summer. Little accepted the point but argued that loss for form was temporary.
"."We've been under a fair bit of pressure this year and it gets to you in the end."
"Recent injuries have cost us a lot and set us back a wee bit. Then we started getting everyone back on their feet only to lose Blair against Glasgow. We signed Brian Turner and he took a knock. And Justin Elkins has had terrible problems with his bike. However, once he gets sorted out he'll be fine because he's a good rider."
"I've also had bad form problems. Things tend to catch up on you over the course of the campaign. We enjoyed a fantastic run in the summer when we went ten matches without defeat. We have worked hard to get where we are. Now we have to work that bit extra to keep it going. We have to keep focused and not lose sight of what we are doing."
"Our display at Peterborough gae us a good kick up the backside in preparation for our clash against Arena which many will see as a dress rehearsal for the Cup clashes."
Arena Essex have certainly improved since Edinburgh won there in the Premier League. They were missing Troy Pratt with a collarbone injury and he has been scoring well since he returned. They took second place in the Premier League Pairs and ended Exeter's long unbeaten home run. They also eliminated Exeter from the Cup and spared Monarchs a daunting trip to the County Ground.
"The temptation will be to say that Edinburgh start favourites. I don't see it that way. This League tie will be interesting gauge as to how things might work out. And we have to treat it very seriously. We failed in the Fours. We won't fail again."
With the return of Brian Turner and Blair Scott, Edinburgh will be at full strength. Both had run outs in The Motor Show on Friday. Brian Turner won both reserve races impressively against David McAllan, Jon Swales, and Aiden Collins. Blair was in the main event and found the competition from Stonehewer, Screen, Carr, and Powell rather tough.
Arena Essex will probably aqppreciate getting a look at the Armadale track less than three weeks before the Cup second leg. They face a busy Sunday having to face Glasgow at 3.00pm at Ashfield before meeting Monarchs at 7.30pm.