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Freddie for action

Barker blow could cost Bees on Monday night

Kelvin Tatum Posted 2nd May 2009 view comments

These are two sides in terrific form and encounters between Wolves and Coventry are always tight affairs.

There's a lot of needle between the two teams in what is effectively a local derby and they are always entertaining matches.

I rode in several of these meetings for Coventry and I know there is always a little bit of extra effort because both teams want the bragging rights. The riders will be highly motivated.

Lindgren: key rider (pic: FOTOSPEEDWAY.PL)

Lindgren: key rider (pic: FOTOSPEEDWAY.PL)

Riders like to say they approach every meeting with the same mindset, but I think the commitment on this night will be particularly good.

Coventry have had a good run, including home and away wins over Poole, although they suffered a slight hiccup the other week with a disappointing defeat to Swindon.

And the injury to Ben Barker is a real blow. He broke his leg riding on the continent last week and that will have impacted on the team. He's been picking up some valuable points for them and he balances the side nicely, so there's no doubt he will be missed.

I rode in several of these meetings for Coventry and I know there is always a little bit of extra effort because both teams want the bragging rights. The riders will be highly motivated.

Kelvin Tatum
Quotes of the week

LIVE ON SKY SPORTS
Wolverhampton v Coventry

7.30pm, Tue, Sky Sports 2

There's a little bit of extra pressure on the riders that have got to step up and take his ride and Edward Kennett will now be more important than ever.

There's no doubt his move from Eastbourne was messy because Bob Dugard clearly wanted to retain him. However, Edward Kennett clearly wanted to go to Coventry and establish himself at another track and those situations are never easy.

It got fairly acrimonious and a fee has finally been agreed after arbitration. Coventry can now move on and enjoy having him in the team because he's been doing a good job so far this season. He's been able to put the controversy to the back of his mind so far and I expect that to continue.

He will be a key member of the team on Monday night and they'll be looking to him to get into double figures. The Wolverhampton track should suit his riding style because he likes it around the smaller tracks and he should feel at home there.

He is one of four British riders at Coventry and that's good to see. We want to see as many British riders as possible gaining valuable experience in the Elite League and it's great news that the Bees have got such a strong home contingent.

Formidable

As for Wolverhampton, they must have felt Sky Sports had a bit of a curse on them last year because they seemed to lose every time they were live on television.

To be fair, they had a poor season throughout and when we went up there earlier this season they won nicely against Swindon. They look a formidable outfit, particularly at home.

They've got a great blend of youth and experience. They've recalled Peter Karlsson who was one of their stalwarts in the past and they have Tai Woffinden who has stepped up to the Elite League this year.

They are combining that with the experience of Adam Skornicki and of course the man who leads the world championship after one Grand Prix, Freddie Lindgren.

The Swede has been absolutely flying and has been unbeaten at Monmore Green for the last three meetings. With him full of confidence, Wolverhampton's top five look very good, especially at home.

Chris van Straatan and Peter Adams, the team manager and promoter respectively have put a really good side together this year and they've been going great guns so far.

So far both Coventry and Wolverhampton have shown they have the sort of teams that can make the play-offs and I'm sure both will have something to say about the honours this year - although I think home advantage could be important on Monday night.

Kelvin's call

Home win - I'm going for a home win because I think the injury to Ben Barker is significant and because the top five at Wolves is extremely strong, particularly at home. It will be a highly competitive match though.

Kelvin's Key Men

Fredrik Lindgren (Wolves) & Edward Kennett (Bees) - Fredrik Lindgren really has been a superstar for Wolves this year, and as I mentioned above, Edward Kennett will be a key man for Coventry. Watch out for those two.

Comments (1)

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Dorothy Mcmanus says...

speedway on tv this week was fab, could we please have more premier league on the telly!!!!!!

Posted 12:48 6th May 2009

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