Edinburgh Monarchs v Glasgow Tigers

Having secured their place in the Premier League Play Off Final, the Scotwaste Monarchs now bid to add another piece of silverware to the cabinet in the shape of the Scottish Cup.

The home side will be aiming to finish what they started after Sunday?s eventful 1 point victory at Ashfield. It was a meeting where, despite the somewhat dull racing, interest never dropped thanks to the lead continually changing hands. Add in some ?discussion raising? refereeing decisions and it really wasn?t just any old end of season encounter!

For the second leg, the Tigers will be missing Robert Ksiezak, who unfortunately broke his collarbone in Sunday?s heat 15. His place is taken by fellow Aussie, Christian Henry. The former Monarch hasn?t really enjoyed the best of seasons and has seen his average drop by more than a point thanks to an unwanted mixture of injury and loss of form. However, his Armadale threat is not in doubt and, combined with the visitors? talisman, Shane Parker, will undoubtedly keep the home men on their toes.

The remaining ?top man? is yet another Aussie, namely Trent Leverington. Having struggled for so long at the Scotwaste Arena, he enjoyed a highly fruitful visit on Premier League duty a few weeks back, thanks in the main to some electric gating. If a repeat performance is in the offing, we may just see a closer scoreline than expected!

One interesting face in the line-up is Danish newcomer, Peter Juul Larsen, who rode in the first leg and looked a very steady acquisition. Of course, he?ll join the Tigers on a full time basis in 2009, which should give their punters some hope for a bright future.

And the young Dane isn?t the only emerging talent who will be donning the stripes next season. The likes of Josh Grajczonek and Mitchell Davey have, on several occasions, shown signs they have that certain ?something? about them. I would expect them to form the back bone of their side over the course of the next 3 to 4 years.

In the home camp, with the fixtures still arriving thick and fast, bike problems must be put to one side for the moment. It would seem that a lot of these may stem from the strain suffered by covering Thomas H Jonasson?s absence with rider replacement. All the extra outings may initially be good for the wallet but not when accompanied by blown engines aplenty!

Rather surprisingly, in my opinion at least, the Monarchs have resisted temptation to bring in a guest for the young Swede for this clash. Therefore, all bar William Lawson will be eligible for an extra outing (unless both sets of management agree otherwise of course!).

Home form continues to be a strong point for the Champions, with Ryan Fisher and Andrew Tully both particularly impressive in recent weeks. Meanwhile, the others just seem to plod on and score a ?solid? amount of points. Such a refreshing change from seasons just past!

The Tigers have an extra special target to aim for on Friday. As well as winning the Scottish Cup itself, they would also be able to boast their first victory over their deadliest rivals this year. Not only that, but they would also end the Monarchs? 2008 unbeaten record in West Lothian. Can they do it? You?ll just have to don yer winter woolies and find out!

As always, may the best team win...

Line-ups:

Monarchs: William Lawson, r/r for Thomas H Jonasson, Ryan Fisher, Andrew Tully, Matthew Wethers, Derek Sneddon, Aaron Summers.

Tigers: Christian Henry, Lee Dicken, Shane Parker, Peter Juul Larsen, Trent Leverington, Mitchell Davey, Anders Andersen.