The Potteries are more associated with yellow as the colour of the famous porcelain manufactured there than they are with the fruit synonymous with slip ups, but the visit of Stoke to Central Park this evening does represent (as history has taught us) a potential banana skin for the play-off chasing Kent SLYDE Kings.
And following a third last heat decider defeat in the past four Travel Plus National League matches and the need to get back to winning ways urgently to keep in the top four, it certainly focuses the minds of team boss Chris Hunt and his charges that actually the only visiting team that has won at Kent Speedway’s Sittingbourne Greyhound Stadium home in each of the last three seasons, 2013, ’14 & ’15 are the Potters.
Hunt is well away that this is an ‘Indian Sign’ which needs to be consigned to history, knowing that a win will lift his side up to third place and above their conquerors on Saturday, Eastbourne Eagles.
“In the past three seasons Stoke have very much been our bogey team and have picked up some good results, often unexpectedly, around Central Park. So we really do have to be on our game for this one”.
The side put together by third tier stalwart, Malcolm Vasey has the most experienced spine in the TPNL. Paul Burnett is right up there in the top ten for all-time appearances for the third tier and this is his 15th season in total riding at this level. Bradford-born, Burnett rode for the Buxton Hitmen from 1997 to 2004 and again in 2008 before making a comeback after a spell out of the sport across the Peaks with the Potters last term.
Ben Hopwood was a twice British Under 15s runner up before making his mark in League competition back in 2006 with the then Stoke Spitfires. Back in his native north-west after remarkably riding earlier this term in declared sides for Eastbourne, for Rye House and for Buxton too, a rather traumatic year now is stablising for the 25 year old.
Skipper Tony Atkin, at 50-years-of-age, is the oldest rider currently riding in any of the three Speedway leagues in the UK and one of a very few Welshmen too. Remarkably the former British Ice Racing champion is back at the club the Wrexham-born racer started his career as a 20-year-old in 1986.
Ben Wilson is familiar to Kent fans having recently guested away at Coventry and at home vs. Buxton for the SLYDE Kings. His first season at this level was in the opening year of this century and the greatest individual success for the Tyke was his GB Under 21 championship victory of 2006. His League title success at this level still further back: with his home city club the Owenton (Sheffield) Prowlers in 2001.
Danny Phillips may not have the kind of appearances stacked up to his name of so many of his team mates but in recent years he’s been the one taking team honours – when riding for the Cradley Heathens in 2014 he remarkably was a part of the super septet from the Black Country that claimed the Championship, KOC and National Shield.
Vasey has a headache in completing his side for Monday now that he has lost newcomer Chris Hay to injury – crashing out on his home debut versus league leaders Birmingham on Saturday; a match which also saw Shaun Tedham have to withdraw early, making him too a doubt for the visit to Kent.
For Kent, it’s a clean bill of health and a determination among the tried and tested septet to put the two narrow defeats to rivals Birmingham & Eastbourne behind them and get three more points towards that all important final total in the race to the play-offs.
The action at Central Park gets underway at 6.30pm (gates at 5pm) on Monday 25 July.