Sussex speedway squad Eastbourne Eagles head back to their traditional Arlington stadium home this coming Monday evening (7.30 p.m. start time) when they shall face fellow South Coast dwellers and of course long time local rivals, Dorset’s finest, the Poole Pirates.

The Eagles will undoubtedly still be breathless following a captivating final heat decider last Saturday, one that realised a 4-2 and saw the Sussex side snatch a last gasp victory over current table toppers, the Swindon Robins.

More of the same is sure to be in prospect on Monday evening, the match being switched from the Eagles more regular Saturday night staging in order to bid welcome to the cameras of the SKY Sports production team once more, the Pirates habitually providing good box office on each and every occasion that they venture to Sussex.

Once again the Eagles are forced to head into the clash lacking key riders, Edward Kennett, one of the stars of that titanic last race against the Robins will be absent, contesting the early qualifying stages of the 2009 Grand Prix series while reserve James Brundle is still weeks short of a comeback following that nasty leg injury sustained ironically at Poole’s Wimborne Road stadium a fortnight ago.

The Eagles management will carefully examine their options as regards suitable guests for the match up, Peterborough’s Kenneth Bjerre a name that is currently in the frame, however with several Elite League teams already in action that same evening, they may be forced to opt for the Rider Replacement facility as cover for Kennett.

Of course the Pirates have also suffered their problems on the injury front so far in 2008. Reserve, and stand in Captain for Monday’s fixture, Adam Skornicki was sidelined during the early weeks of the campaign, though the good news for Poole fans is that he seems to have come through the ordeal, and is continuing to show the sort of form that the Pirates promotion thought him capable when they recruited him during the winter months.

Fellow countryman, Pole, Karol Zabik has since been ruled out of action suffering firstly with gallstones, and then the effects of a fall while riding in Sweden, however it is hoped that he will be fit to take his place as the riders come to tapes on Monday evening.

The undoubted hammer blow was set to fall last Friday night however as the Pirates set out to defend a 24-point first leg lead in the Craven Shield semi-final at Coventry’s Brandon stadium.

Grand Prix superstar, number one and mainstay, Bjarne Pedersen came to grief in heat 11 of the fixture as he gave chase to team mate Skornicki, an 8-1 race advantage appeared in prospect, a result that would surely have seen the Dorset outfit through to a final showdown with the Lakeside Hammers. Misfortune was set to strike on the second lap however, the Dane drifting wide and into the safety fence, sustaining in the process a broken wrist that threatens to unravel the Pirates early season push for honours.

The Wimborne Road management have been swift to ring the changes however, former Pirate Krzysztof Kasprzak, who saw action in Lakeside colours in 2007 being drafted in as short term cover for the injured Pedersen.

The Pole was set to make an immediate impact, scoring 10-points in the Pirates comfortable 53-39 home victory against Swindon on Monday last, just one positive facet of a quite superb all round performance from the Dorset battlers, one that surely led their supporters to exclaim ‘Crisis, what crisis?’

With former Eagle Davey Watt currently in the form of his life for the Pirates, and Chris Holder improving with every turn of the wheel in his first full season of Elite League racing, there is no doubt that they will be all out to demonstrate some south coast supremacy, however you can be sure that the Eagles will have similar ideas of their own and all things considered another hotly contested encounter is surely in prospect.       
 
Teams :
 
Eagles : 1. Scott Nicholls, 2. Lewis Bridger, 3. Lee Richardson (Captain), 4. Cameron Woodward, 5. (Guest or Rider Replacement for) Edward Kennett, 6. Simon Gustafsson, 7. (Guest for) James Brundle
 
Pirates : 1. Krzysztof Kasprzak, 2. Freddie Eriksson, 3. Chris Holder, 4. Karol Zabik, 5. Davey Watt, 6. Jordan Frampton, 7. Adam Skornicki (Captain)