Edinburgh Monarchs ready to come to the party in both league and cup

But those riders sporting the blue and gold have dusted down their kevlars and delivered the goods on the shale. Championship points on the road – including a first away win of the season at Birmingham last night – capped off last weekend's KO Cup slaying of arch-rivals the Glasgow Tigers. There's no two ways about it – Monarchs are up for the fight this season in both league and cup. The 50-40 triumph at Perry Barr Stadium last night saw the club up to sixth in British speedway's middle tier, a position that, come the end of the season, would secure a coveted play-off berth.

However, Monarchs haven't had their problems to seek these past few weeks either. Firstly, the loss of duo James Sarjeant and Lasse Fredriksen to injury has had co-promoters Alex Harkess and John Campbell scrambling for guests to cover the former's absence. Those who have stepped in, Redcar's Jason Edwards for example, have gone above and beyond the call of duty. That said, the scores amassed from utilising rider replacement for Fredriksen have been somewhat disappointing.

Berwick's Kyle Bickley replaces Sarjeant for the visit to Armadale of a toothless Diamonds outfit, who have been nothing less than woeful so far in 2022. Monarchs' Italian Paco Castagna is in Hungary for a Grand Prix qualifier so familiar Dutchman Theo Pijper will partner Kye Thomson in the middle body of the team.

The Capital side can ill-afford for any complacency to creep in if they are to turn up the heat on the sides above them. Redcar, Plymouth and indeed Glasgow are now within sight. With top duo Sam Masters and Josh Pickering racking up double figures like there's no tomorrow at tracks across the UK and on the continent, Monarchs are a match for anyone in the Championship. Over the course of the next month or so the Capital outfit have an ideal opportunity to lay down a marker – both at home and on their travels.