Edinburgh Monarchs v Redcar Bears

The dangerous and unpredictable Redcar Bears come to Armadale this Friday looking to kick start a serious Premier League challenge and to be the first team to dent the mighty Monarchs proud record of not having lost at home (or anywhere else) so far in 2014.

So far the Bears have not found the required consistency, having come away with wins at the difficult away venues of Scunthorpe and Newcastle but having lost at home to Ipswich and Sheffield. However last week they drew impressively at Peterborough, the team that gave Monarchs so much trouble last week.

At the top of the list, Craig Cook saved the very best till last against the Panthers with a barnstorming Heat 15 win. Who's to say he won't have to work just as hard this week when Glasgow's Kevin Wolbert is back, this time guesting for the Bears' Richard Lawson who is riding for Lakeside.

Craig's partner in crime at No.2, Justin Sedgmen is opposed by someone who can certainly entertain around the Scotwaste Arena, Carl Wilkinson from Boston who in his time has ridden for the Pumas, Stars, Barracudas, Diamonds, Glasgow Tigers, Wasps, Bandits, Witches, Wolves, Scorpions and now Bears.

Max Fricke has been really stretched by the recent opposing teams and will hope to compile a double figure score this week. His opposite number at 3 is a rider with the perfect speedway surname, Hugh Skidmore, an Australian who spent four seasons with the Sheffield Tigers before becoming a Redcar Bear last year.

The most improved reserve of 2014, Steve Worrall moves up to No.4 where he lines up opposite yet another former Glasgow Tigers rider, Mark Lemon who has been snapped up by the Bears to bolster their top five, pushing Jan Graversen down to reserve where he displaces young Luke Crang.

Sam Masters fell foul of the referee last week for being a bit too anxious to be first out of the traps. He'll certainly have to be sharp to match his opposite number at 5, the Bears skipper Aaron 'Spud' Summers who spent his first three seasons at Armadale but has now incredibly been away for five years.

Monarchs' new American maestro, Aaron Fox has made tremendous progress since his UK debut only a few weeks ago. His opposite number is the Danish rider, Jan Graversen who is in his sixth UK season having enjoyed a settled position with Leicester Lions before they moved into the Elite League.

Edinburgh's inspirational captain, Derek Sneddon begins his stint at No.7 on the other side of the pits from young Polish rider Rafal Konopka who has been retained after he was brought in on an assessed 7.00 to replace the under-performing Richard Hall following his 30-day suspension.

Having just beaten the Bears at Redcar to extend their unbeaten run to 22 consecutive matches, Monarchs fans might think this will be a walk in the park, but a lot depends on track conditions and which Redcar bears side turns up, the lacklustre one or the one that springs surprises.

As for Monarchs, they will be keen to put in a solid seven-man display and regain the almost casual dominance of the Scotwaste Arena they had been displaying earlier in the year. It will take a good team to beat them. Will it be the Redca' Bears? Be there to find out. Tapes up at 7.30 sharp.

Likely line-ups:

EDINBURGH SCOTWASTE MONARCHS: Craig Cook, Justin Sedgmen, Max Fricke, Steve Worrall, Sam Masters, Aaron Fox, Derek Sneddon (capt.).

REDCAR ECCO BEARS: Kevin Wolbert (guest), Hugh Skidmore, Mark Lemon, Carl Wilkinson, Aaron Summers (capt.), Jan Graversen, Rafal Konopka.