After some ups and downs over the Bank Holiday fixtures, the Kent CTA Fire Kings are back on track and looking forward to entertaining Stoke Potters.

The action is back at Central Park for the second time in a week as the home side look to follow-up their impressive victory of Mildenhall last time out.

This time the competition featured is the National Trophy – and the visiting side from Staffs will represent a considerable challenge as the injury-hit CTA Fire Kings aim to maintain their 100% winning start to their home season and record a first win in the NT for this campaign.

Out for the homesters is Benji Compton who faces four to five weeks on the sidelines after breaking his hand.  Also suffering from a hand injury after a torrid start to his 2014 season, bedeviled by a succession of nasty prangs, is Brandon Freemantle. So, as with last week, the Kent team boss John Sampford goes for the Rider Replacement facility for the missing Compton and rookie reserves (so instrumental in the win over Mildenhall), Luke Harris and Danny Ayres pair up again.

Stoke are the Sittingbourne-based CTA Fire Kings most recent away opponents and so there’s an early opportunity to gain revenge after a narrow reverse up in the Potteries last weekend.  The side finished rock bottom of Speedway’s third tier, the National League last year – their worst position in 40 seasons in the sport – and this is something the Potters’ ultra proud team boss Malcolm Vasey was never going to be content to see happen again; and so a far more solid line up has taken to track in Stoke colours this term.

Leading the way as skipper is the most experienced rider in the NL, Jon Armstrong – a former League Riders Champion at this level and one of the real crowd pleasers riding in Speedway today. At number one for the visitors is the highest averaged rider in the 2014 NL and uniquely for this division a rider who – when GB Under 21 champion in 2006 – actually lined up in the British Speedway Grand Prix at the iconic Millennium Stadium as reserve.

Wilson took the Bronze Helmet match race championship title held for so long by Kings’ riders (last year’s favourite Steve Boxall, succeeded by his replacement this term as skipper, Simon Lambert) from Lambert when the sides met last Saturday.  Provided Wilson successfully negotiates his defence of the prestigious title at Stoke’s home match at the weekend – the likes of Lambert, maximum man from last weekend Ben Morley or David Mason (who actually holds the all-time record for most Bronze Helmet wins, a distinction gained a decade ago) will be fighting for a chance to bring the coveted skid-lid back ‘home’.

Completing a very strong heat-leader trio for the Potters is Ben Hopwood, who has already written himself into Central Park Speedway history as the first ever visiting maximum man when he appeared a year ago at the then newly-opened circuit with the Isle of Wight.

With Lee Payne, newly recruited into the Fast track ranks absent on Belle Vue duty, the visitors will utilise Rider Replacement too and will be hoping that Rob Shuttleworth recovers from his own hand injury to line up at reserve, where he’d be partnered by lively, James McBain – the Scot being is rated by many as the current reserve most likely to make a major breakthrough this season.

The action gets underway at Central Park on Monday at 6.30pm.