So near at Plymouth

The Stellar Monarchs could and probably should have tasted victory on the road at Plymouth tonight, but having been 8 points up after heat 8, we gradually saw our advantage eaten away and went down 46-44 in what was certainly a thrilling match for the Gladiators' fans.

Team manager John Campbell was certainly disappointed but did see some progress towards the kind of solidity he is looking for in the team this season. "A greatly improved performance compared to many we've given this season but it was pretty much in our hands and we threw it away. It's very hard if you miss the start at Plymouth. But it was a battling performance and disappointing that we couldn't carry it through to the finish.

"The most positive things were that Kye Thomson was very, very good and Jonatan Grahn who was down and out after last night, was a completely changed man tonight."

Monarchs' problem was race winners and they only took three of these. The match winner really was a reserve but for once it wasn't Monarchs' victor Palovaara who wasn't getting out of the start. It was former Monarch Lasse Fredriksen riding at reserve for Plymouth (where he rarely had the chance to ride when a Monarch) who took four victories

After losing a 4-2 in heat 4 to drop behind, Monarchs grabbed a 5-1 in heat 5 through Sedgmen and Thomson after Joe Thompson fell, then another from an excellent ride by Castagna and Grahn against a strong looking Barker-Fredriksen pair.

Kye Thomson was even better in heat 8, passing Fredriksen round the outside to win with Palovaara in third, making it 20-28 in favour of the visitors.

We limited the damage of the tac sub in heat 9 to a 2-4, but that was a race result which recurred too often over the second half of the match. Our gating rather deserted us over the final seven heats and in no fewer than five of them, we lost a 4-2 which left us on just 44.

Kye Thomson did lead the final heat which we went in to at 42-42, but he was taken by Ben Barker who sent the home fans wild.

All of the Monarchs had good moments and that includes guest number 7 Sonny Springer who got a good third in heat 2 and also was on the pace when given a heat 13 ride.

The gruelling trek to Plymouth

Our riders, mechanics and management face the gruelling task of travelling to Plymouth in the 21 hours or so following the home match with Poole. As we now know, they will travel without Oskar Polis and use rider replacement for the departed Polish rider.

The Gladiators are a team something like ourselves, built for solidity and looking for every man to ride to his best form to compile a winning team score. That suggests a close match is likely – if the teams achieve what they are looking for. Plymouth have already beaten Poole this season so clearly are not a soft touch around their small circuit.

Gating is important everywhere but especially at the St Boniface Arena, the Coliseum, where we last won a couple of years ago. Our guest that night Erik Riss described his approach as "Make the gate and cruise around!" Usually sticking to the inside line is key as it is hard to pass on the outside.

Monarchs have young Sonny Springer as guest no. 7, a Leicester rider at National League level, and thank him for taking the booking.

Looking for form guides around Plymouth is not easy. Justin Sedgmen was a Plymouth rider briefly a few years ago and scored 14 for us there in 2014. Kye Thomson has been there four times for us, scored paid 25 on his first three visits but hit problems last year after he stopped while leading heat 1.

Paco Castagna scored 9 points there in 2023, and won a heat last season – you'd like to think his inside line ability should pay off there.

A lot depends on the home side of course! They have Nicolai Klindt who should be a top man in the Championship but who can be a little inconsistent. Ben Barker is a long time expert on their track, as is Alfie Bowtell at second string level. And of course we will be meeting Lasse Fredriksen our old pal, and you can pretty well bet that Lasse will do well!

The match will be live streamed on Plymouth's TV service.