Morris back for Lions for their crucial two fixtures
LEICESTER welcome back Nick Morris to the team tonight at Redcar after his statutory period of inactivity, writes Alan Jones.
The 27-year-old Australian rider suffered concussion during a meeting while racing for his Premier League club Wolverhampton two weeks ago.
Morris, below, had to sit out the Lions’ last three Championship fixtures that saw the team beat Plymouth, Scunthorpe and Glasgow.
Leicester co-promoter David Darcy said: “It was a blow to lose Nick (Morris) as he is one of our big hitters but the choice of guests by Stewart Dickson was inspirational as they delivered what we expected of them.
“However, we are pleased that Nick is back tonight as we move forward to completing our league commitments.
“Every point counts now as clubs are vying to be in the mix when it comes to the final league table.
“A top six finish is a must to qualify for the play-offs and we are in a good position of fourth having ridden the least number of matches than our rivals.
“However, we have to turn those matches in hand into wins.
“Redcar tonight will be a tough nut to crack.
“They are third and are having their best season for some time but we go there in good spirit and confident in our own ability to win the match.”
Darcy said the Lions’ home clash against Edinburgh tomorrow night will be equally as tough.
“They are one point behind us so we cannot afford any slip-ups at home,” he said.
“If we can secure a maximum seven points from tonight and tomorrow it will move us up to third and within striking distance of second place by the end of the season.
“That will mean we avoid having to race in the quarter-finals as the top two teams are seeded direct into the semifinals.
“It is still very much up in the air but we know what we have to do and will be going all-out to succeed.”
Tonight’s teams
Redcar: 1. Charles Wright, 2. James Sarjeant, 3. Jake Allen, 4. Lewis Kerr, 5. Michael Palm Toft, 6. Greg Blair and 7. Jordan Jenkins
Leicester: 1. Nick Morris, 2. Dan Thompson, 3. Hans Andersen, 4. Kyle Howarth, 5. Ryan Douglas, 6. Joe
Thompson and 7. Zaine Kennedy
On Sunday, the Lion Cubs are back in action and travel to Mildenhall without their most experienced rider, Joe Lawlor, who has announced his retirement from the sport to concentrate more fully on building up his business venture.