The Peterborough Evening Telegraph
Panthers sure they can bounce back in Sheffield
Peterborough Panthers star Ulrich Ostergaard is hoping his liking for Sheffield will help the team bounce back to winning ways in the Premiership tonight (Thursday, 7.30pm).
After Monday’s home defeat by Belle Vue, Panthers hit the road to South Yorkshire for their first top flight visit since 1996.
But club legend Ostergaard has revealed how he and some of the other Peterborough riders go well around Owlerton.
Ostergaard said: “I’ve always liked Sheffield. It’s always been a good away track for me, and I think the rest of the boys like it as well.
“I think it should be a fairly even racetrack anyway, so hopefully we can go up there and have a bit more speed than we had on Monday, make a few better gates, and put some points on the board to make up for what we lost against Belle Vue.
“Sheffield is big and fast and I’m expecting a good meeting there, but we have to believe we can hit back from Monday and get some important away points on the board.”
Sheffield are unbeaten in their four home matches so far this season, but were taken to a last heat decider recently by bottom club King’s Lynn.
They are without former Panthers man Jack Holder who has shoulder and lung damage from a crash in Poland last weekend and have drafted in fellow Australian ace Nick Morris as cover.
Kyle Bickley replaces Josh Bates at reserve with Bates having treatment on his shoulder injury.
Line-ups:SHEFFIELD:Troy Batchelor, Kyle Howarth, Adam Ellis, Josh Pickering, Nick Morris, James Wright, Kyle Bickley.
PANTHERS: Ulrich Ostergaard, Hans Andersen, Michael Palm Toft, Scott Nicholls, Bjarne Pedersen, Jordan Palin, Chris Harris.
Panthers dropped from first to third in the Premiership table after losing at home to Belle Vue for the second time this season.
Team boss Rob Lyon admitted the better team won.
Lyon said: “I thought it was going to be a tight meeting, but fair play to Belle Vue as they were the better team towards the end of the meeting.
“They certainly put it to us and were comfortable in the end, but we know the reasons why we lost and why they beat us here earlier in the season.
“Hopefully when we get towards the business end and we’re looking at play-offs, we’ll have a different strategy to make sure that if we get a home meeting we’ll have some home advantage.”
Wolverhampton are the new Premiership leaders, but Pantherscouldregainpoleposition with a win at Sheffield, although second-placed Belle Vue are also in action tonight at King’s Lynn.