Eagles aim to kick on

Eastbourne aim to close in on the National League Play Off places on Saturday.

The Forman IT Eagles are currently in sixth place in the table but have matches in hand on all the teams above.

On Saturday, they tackle the Coventry Bees at Arlington Stadium with high hopes of taking another three points to propel them further up the league.

Earlier in the season, Coventry were despatched by the Eagles from the KO Cup at the quarter final stage.

Eagles’ team boss Connor Dugard is forced into one change for the fixture, which he sees as vital in the club’s quest for a top four position at the end of the regular season which will give his side a place in the Play Offs.

Dugard has long made the point that the 2018 side has been developing as the months have gone by, with the aim of peaking in the autumn when they hope to be competing for the league title and the KO Cup.

The match against Coventry heralds a flurry of fixtures for the Eagles who face ten matches in the next month or so.

Dugard said: “It’s a busy time coming up and that’s just what we need as we head for the business end of the year. 

“It ensures the riders are fit and raring to go in our quest for trophies.

“We are expecting Coventry to give us a hard match. 

“We are coming to the crunch time and is vital we now kick on to secure our place in the Play Offs.

“We will be without Ethan Spiller this weekend, due to a prior commitment, but I am confident we are strong enough to see off the Bees.”

Eagles: Tom Brennan, Jason Edwards, Mark Baseby, Charley Powell, Georgie Wood, Nick Laurence, Charlie Brooks.

Bees: Connor Mountain, Jamie Halder, Danny Phillips, Luke Ruddick, Rider Replacement for Jon Armstrong, Luke Harris, Jamie Sealey.

It’s a busy evening of racing at Arlington with 27 heats planned.

Timetable:

6.45pm: Six junior races

7.20pm: National League parade

7.30pm: Tapes up on Eastbourne v Coventry

Around 9pm: Reading v Weymouth in the Southern Junior League. This is a ‘home’ match for both clubs, as both use Arlington to stage their home fixtures.