Monarchs going for a hat trick at Glasgow

PREVIEW Thursday 30th July 2026, 12:30pm

by Iain McArthur

  Edinburgh Monarchs

The Monarchs bagged five league points last weekend after a comprehensive home win over Plymouth and a hard-fought draw at Workington. That pushed them up to second place in the table and they will travel to third-placed Glasgow on Friday to continue the battle for the title and one of the four play-off places.

A win for the Monarchs would take them to the top of the table and they will be optimistic after going unbeaten so far in the month of July. The Monarchs were winners in both of their trips to Ashfield earlier this year; taking a six-point lead in the Scottish Cup tie earlier this month and a 49-41 BSN Series win in May.

Tigers out for revenge

Of course, Glasgow will be going all out to prevent their local rivals claiming an unwelcome hat-trick on their home patch. The Tigers can also go joint-top of the league with Scunthorpe if they claim the points on Friday and there is also the return leg at Armadale to look forward to next week.

With fantastic support from Allied Vehicles, Glasgow are one of the better-funded teams in the league and can boast some of the best facilities in the country. That privilege comes with an expectation of success though, and the Tigers will feel that they have more in the tank to finish the season strongly.

In recent seasons, Glasgow have implemented some ruthless mid-season team changes to improve their chances, but until this week, they had been faithful to their opening seven. They were rewarded with a good team performance in their most recent home match which helped them to a comprehensive win over cup-finalists Berwick.

The shock news that Kyle Howarth is stepping back from racing after a difficult season with illness and injury has forced a change in their plans though. A 28-day guest facility will provide some temporary relief and Jonas Jeppesen of Workington will step in against the Monarchs. The Dane is enjoying a marvellous season, so Tigers fans will be hoping that he does better than team-mate Drew Kemp in the Scottish Cup match, while Edinburgh fans are probably just glad it is not Nicolai Klindt, who's 18 points guesting for the Comets last week possibly cost the Monarchs a win at Northside.

Based purely on 2026 averages, Leon Flint is actually the top-performing Tiger this year, ahead of both Howarth and Chris Harris. The irrepressible veteran 'Bomber' still went close to qualifying for next year's Grand Prix series in last week's SGP Challenge in Italy, with Monarchs' skipper Paco Castagna also performing strongly.

All speedway fans will have been glad to see Kevin Juhl Pedersen back on the bike this week after his bad crash at Ashfield in the Scottish Cup tie which was upsetting to watch. The Dane made his comeback for Ipswich in their Premiership KO Cup final clash with Dan Thompson's Leicester on Monday. That cup will be won on Thursday night after the second leg in the Midlands.

Monarchs hoping for a three-peat

The Monarchs have enjoyed double-figure returns from Kye Thomson and Dan Thompson on their previous visits to Glasgow and the pair have also won both of their Heat 15 deciders at Ashfield too. The Monarchs provided the majority of the heat-winners in those visits and have also avoided finishing last more often than not.

The teams look evenly matched up and down the line-ups, so individual battles may prove crucial, especially lower down the order where Jordy Loftus has been flying and Mitch Cluff was very handy last time out at Ashfield. For the Tigers, Sam Hagon and Freddy Hodder impressed against the Bandits and every point will be vital.

With more than just Scottish pride at stake and undefeated Poole Pirates lurking in 4th place with fixtures in hand, this match will be important to both clubs and should be a highly competitive affair.

The Monarchs will travel to Poole on Wednesday next week before welcoming Glasgow to Armadale at the start of a run of three consecutive home Fridays that will also see them face-off against Poole and Berwick in decisive fixtures.

Friday 31st July 2026: Glasgow Tigers v Edinburgh Monarchs, Cab Direct Championship, Allied Ashfield Stadium, 7:30pm

ALLIIED VEHICLES TIGERS: Jonas Jeppesen (guest), Mario Häusl, Chris Harris (captain), Kevin Juhl Pedersen, Leon Flint, Freddy Hodder, Sam Hagon.

ROSS ECO TECHNOLOGIES MONARCHS: Dan Thompson, Jonatan Grahn, Justin Sedgmen, Paco Castagna (captain), Kye Thomson, Mitch Cluff, Jordy Loftus.

Travelling fans will also be able to see the West Lothian Wildcats take on Ashfield Giants in a Northern Junior League fixture after the main match.