Edinburgh Monarchs v Plymouth Devils

There was plenty to talk about after Armadale’s 500th senior meeting.

Firstly, the traffic on the M6 which prevented four visiting riders from getting to the stadium when they intended. It was agreed to delay till 8pm while presenter Scott Wilson filled in with interviews of some of the riders who have entertained over the years since 1997.

By the time the match did start, Kyle Newman and Jack Holder had arrived, but only later did Morten Risager and Ryan Fisher manage to make it, missing one and two rides respectively.

Nevertheless the whole evening was a lot more enjoyable than the previous week’s fare, even though the score finished up almost exactly the same.

For that many thanks to Jack Holder, surely the best first time performance around the trick since… maybe Nick Morris four years ago? Holder was great to watch, attacking the turns and locking up hard to drive down the straights. Opposition back wheels didn’t seem to worry him.

In fact the meeting opened with an excellent ride from Monarchs’ guest Nick Morris who came from last to second, capitalizing when Holder slightly over-locked on one bend. Morris went on to deliver spectacle as well as points on his way to a paid maximum.

Some of the other heats were uncompetitive but there was always the next Holder ride to look forward to. Heat 11 was very good because the otherwise dominant Craig Cook made an error which allowed Holder to go ahead, only for Cook to chase and eventually find the right line for a great cutback and overtake.

Neither Risager nor Fisher settled down quickly enough after their arrival to add much to the proceedings, though Kyle Newman deserved more for his efforts.

And we mustn’t forget the ever-developing Erik Riss who followed last week’s paid 17 with a full 6 ride paid maximum.

Edinburgh Monarchs v Plymouth Devils

Monarchs will be hoping to make it a night of double celebration on Friday when they mark their 500th meeting at Armadale as well as playing host to those long-travelled visitors, the Plymouth Devils in a Premier League encounter.

Amazingly, Edinburgh go into this match with only two of their top five riders available, two being off to the Continent for Grand Prix Qualifying Semi-Finals and the other still recovering from injury. Plymouth are a full strength apart from a reserve change.

Glasgow's Australian, Nick Morris, is given Armadale practice time as he stands in for Sam Masters at No.1 where he faces the 23-year-old Plymouth captain, Kyle Newman from Poole, a rider who has won a lot of honours and whose average continues to rise year on year.

Rob Branford has been advised to sit out this fixture in order to give his shoulder injury more time to heal, so Monarchs operate rider replacement at No.2. This gives Plymouth a distinct edge because their No.2 is Jack Holder who is already holding down a 6-point average in his first PL season.

Kevin Wolbert will also be sorely missed at No.3 where his GP absence will be covered by Theo Pijper who is currently second in the Scunthorpe averages. Hopefully he will be well matched with Plymouth's experienced Elite League rider from Arhus in Denmark, Morten Risager.

The key man for Monarchs could well be Justin Sedgmen, despite a disappointing night at Redcar, but he will have to be at his sharpest against Plymouth's No.4, 22-year-old Todd Kurtz from Cowra in New South Wales who was part of last season's successful Somerset side.

The match up everyone is eagerly anticipating is that of the current and former star Monarchs stars, Craig Cook and Ryan Fisher who are both currently riding at No.5 rather than their one-time No.1 positions. While short on consistency, the American can still post big scores.

Max Clegg at No.6 still gives the impression that he struggles to believe he can compete at Premier League level and he will get no quarter from Plymouth's No.6, 30-year-old Zdenek Sam Simota from the Czech Republic who enjoys a 5.67 average which makes him a dangerous reserve.

All of this puts a lot of pressure on Erik Riss to be the match winner for Monarchs if he can make consistent starts. He will certainly be expected to well outscore his opposite No.7, young Liam Carr from Ashington in Northumbria who is a National League guest replacement for Roland Benko.

In normal circumstances, Monarchs would be heavy odds-on favourites to take all three Premier League points against a Plymouth team in the bottom three. But whereas the improving Devils are at virtually full strength, Edinburgh have a very makeshift look without their regular riders at Nos.1, 2 and 3.

With the uncertainty of how the two guest heat leaders will perform, Monarchs will be looking to a strong lead from their captain, British No.2, Craig Cook as well as big performances from Justin Sedgmen and Erik Riss who will share the bulk of the rider replacement rides.

Plymouth have a side built on strength in depth with all their riders bar one on averages between 5.5 and 7.5 whereas Monarchs look top heavy in comparison with four riders above 7 and three below 4. And it's this lower order that failed to fire at Redcar and will have to be much improved against Plymouth.

Will everything click into place and will it be all right on the night for the makeshift Monarchs or will Plymouth put another spoke in Edinburgh's ambitions to finish in the Premier League's top six. Anything is possible, so Monarchs will certainly need your support from the terraces. Tapes up at 7.30 sharp.

Likely line-ups:

EDINBURGH BORDER ROOFING MONARCHS: Nick Morris, R/R for Rob Branford, Theo Pijper, Justin Sedgmen, Craig Cook (capt.), Max Clegg, Erik Riss.

PLYMOUTH SKILLS GROUP DEVILS: Kyle Newman (capt), Jack Holder, Morten Risager, Todd Kurtz, Ryan Fisher, Sam Simota, Liam Carr (guest).