Edinburgh Monarchs v Rye House Rockets

Predictions of a heavy defeat were well off the mark as the Scotwaste Monarchs forged clear of Rye House and had the match won by heat 13.

Thereafter the Rockets closed things up a bit with two heat advantages, but the visitors? performance to be honest showed why they haven?t achieved as much as many predicted for them this season.

After they had lost the first heat 5-1, and failed to close the gap with a series of non-finishers, the Rockets seemed to lose heart. None more so than Chris Neath who at times was almost unbelievably poor.

The exception to all this for the Rockets was Tai Woffinden who again performed brilliantly and seems to have everything it takes to do well in Speedway. Adam Roynon also finished with a good score but in his case 8 of his 12 points were scored after the result was decided.

Monarchs? opening pair made a very important strong start by racing away from Neath and r/r Steve Boxall in heat 1. It seemed quite surprising that Rockets used their strongest eligible rider to take the first replacement ride.

They should have levelled the scores in heat 2, Edinburgh?s problem race, but Adam Roynon pulled up with the race in his pocket. Luke Bowen didn?t look very steady but he wasn?t put under any real pressure.

Woffinden and Tommy Allen led heat three, with Laukkanen and Tully pressing hard. The two home men might have been obstructing each other a bit, but it didn?t matter because Allen (unsteady all the way) eventually fell off.

Rockets had another faller in heat 4 when Roynon came off on the first corner. Boxall and Wethers clashed on the first bend of the rerun with Matthew almost going into the fence, and Michael Coles also losing control. Boxall actually slowed and had a long look back, apparently showing some concern for the opposition!

Everyone got going eventually and it was a shared heat.

Laukkanen cut inside Neath off the second bend in heat 5, but the heat was stopped as Luke Bowen hit the pits bend fence hard.

In the rerun it was Tully who got the first bend right and raced off well ahead. Neath and Laukkanen had a good battle for second and though it looked like Kaj had moved through on the last lap, Neath came back off the final turn and took second. It was to be a rare show of fight from the Rockets? no. 1.

George Stancl went to the front in heat 6 but after a tight first bend Derek Sneddon found himself at the back. Eventually he fell as George held off a very strong challenge from Adam Roynon.

Woffinden won a rerun heat 7, stopped the first time as Kalle Katajisto went into the fence trying to pass Tommy Allen. Wethers took second spot and Monarchs were four ahead.

Derek Sneddon did well to win heat 8 from Allen and Roynon, and then Monarchs hit a purple patch.

Laukkanen and Tully carved up heat 9 ahead of Boxall, then we had the unusual sight of Woffinden trapped at the rear of heat 10, won by Stancl. Derek Sneddon fought a really tough battle with Allen and took a very good second place.

The score was now 36-24, allowing Rockets to consider tactical options. Somewhat surprisingly they went for a TS ride for Woffinden in partnership with Neath.

This didn?t work out for them because Wethers got the better of Neath to the first bend, and indeed Katajisto also passed Neath! Woffinden raced under Kale going in to the pits bend, and the young Finn slid off. This was unfortunate as he did seem to have the beating of the floundering Neath.

So Rockets took a 5-3 and the gap was now 10. They still didn?t use a TR, but Woffinden and Roynon took a 4-2 over Laukkanen.

Monarchs needed to consolidate their position, and they did it in style. George Stancl was again powerful to the first corner, and Matthew Wethers sailed round the outside line to go ahead.

Boxall chased in vain, Neath didn?t even do that, and at 46-34 we now only needed finishers to ensure the victory.

The start of heat 14 was an absolute shambles, the riders confused by the lights, but it was allowed to go. Roynon was on a TR and got a free run for six points, but Allen stopped and it finished a 3-6.

The last heat was a good one with an unlucky finish for Matthew. Once again he used the outside of the first corner to go ahead with Woffinden in hot pursuit. It was close all the way, and coming off turn two of the last lap Woffinden burst down the straight and into the bend ahead of Wethers.

It was such a hard move that Matthew was forced wide and lifted, which gave Roynon a chance to grab a fortunate second spot.

A disappointing end for Monarchs but there was no hiding the fact that we had won by being a better team than a rather scrappy Rye House side.

Edinburgh Monarchs v Rye House Rockets

Monarchs' victories against Rye House in recent years have been as rare as hens' teeth The Rockets arrive on Friday night no doubt once again with the smell of victory in their nostrils.

The Rockets have been in great form this season particularly at home where Edinburgh have been just one of a number of teams who have failed to score 30 points at Hoddesdon against them. Their 100% home record is supplemented by three wins on the road, the latest of which was at Mildenhall on Sunday. Add to that the fact that they've won all bar one of the bonus points they've so far contested and it's not difficult to see why they are not only red hot favourites to qualify for a top four finish and the play-offs but considered as possible league champions.

Rye House have made a number of team changes this season, most of them with riders on short term contracts to replace the injured Scott Robson. When they lost the services of Robbie Kessler following an accident at Rye House they came up with a brilliant replacement in Stefan Ekberg who has moved to the top of the Rockets' averages after only seven meetings.

Ekberg will not be in their team on Friday, however, since he is required to ride in Sweden in the league play-offs over there. That meeting is one which now appears in the rule book entitling the Rockets to use the Rider Replacement facility. With Ekberg in such stunning form both home and away this may weaken them but, if so, only slighly. The Rockets will have Steve Boxall, Tommy Allen and the two reserves, Adam Roynon and Luke Bowen, available to cover for him.

With Ekberg riding as a second string at number 2 just who have the Rockets in the heat leader roles? Chris Neath is at number 1. While he continues to hit big scores at home his away form has been rather patchy this season and one or two of his performances have been surprisingly poor. The other 'big gun' is Tai Woffinden who finished third in the Scottish Open a few weeks ago. The last thing we need is for him to produce that sort of form again. Tai has had one or two falls recently and sometimes doesn't recover too well from them in his scoring in subsequent races. On top form though he's a force to be reckoned with and is yet another in a long line of talented youngsters developed by Rye House.

At number 5, the Rockets have Steve Boxall, a young man who was so good last year that they BSPA had to rule that he could no longer remain at reserve because of his phenomenal scores home and away. This year he has been invited to double up with Poole in the Elite League. His strength lies in his fast starts. If you give this guy a lead from the gate you can expect him to win the race.

Apart from R/R at number 2 the other second string is Tommy Allen who seems to blow hot and cold but he's another who can make fast starts and he could be make a big diffence to the Rockets' power if he has his gating boots on. As if this wasn't enough you only have to look at the reserve berths to find one of the most exciting and talented youngsters around in Adam Roynon. Some of his recent performances such as the televised one against the Isle of Wight a few Mondays ago have been stunning. He doesn't need to gate; in fact some of the best races at Rye House come when he misses the gate and has to use all his talent to come from the back. Luke Bowen is the other reserve and he will score points. We have to hope not many but he rarely runs three or four lasts.

So what chance do the Monarchs have against such a star studded side. Well it's hard to look for many positives but Rye House have had some ropey away matches too. Newcastle gave them a six point lead recently round Brough Park and still went on to beat them. When they go behind they sometimes find it difficult to get back into the match and that is a potential Achilles heel which we really must seek to exploit.

We need to make better starts than we have been doing to put the pressure on the visitors. George and Kai really have to get to the first bend in front to dominate their races. We are rarely disappointed by the efforts of Derek, Matthew and Andrew and, with the experienced Michael Coles at reserve to partner the improving Kalle, we need to see a respectable return from that department too.

While the heart yearns for a change in fortunes to see off what has become our worst bogey team - a team who often seem to be completely at home at Armadale - the head says that we have little chance of winning this match. A pessimistic view? Admittedly so, but it's based on the facts of what has gone before this season and past matches against Rockets' sides, some of which have been much weaker than this one.

One thing's for sure - the bonus point is a goner! We lost by 46 points at Rye House and would need to score eleven 5-1s and a 4-2 just to get the arrears back to equality! May the better team win and may that be Edinburgh on the night!