COVENTRY Buildbase Bees look to end their recent run of defeats when they pay their first visit of the campaign to Ipswich on Thursday evening.

Bees completed four wins out of four against the men from Suffolk last season, and have won on their last three Elite League appearances at Foxhall Heath, but this year's Ipswich team is a much stronger proposition.

The Witches are led scoring-wise by former GP star Jarek Hampel and rising star Piotr Swiderski, they are captained by ex-Bee Steve Johnston and they also include former World Under-21 Champion Robert Miskowiak.

For Bees, the injury situation appears to be easing with Olly Allen returning to the side after his recent shoulder trouble, which leaves just Billy Janniro (also shoulder) on the sidelines.

The team urgently need to bounce back from the disappointment of Belle Vue on Monday when an away win was very much within their grasp only to be snatched away in the closing stages.

And the Ipswich trip along with Friday's home match against Swindon are important fixtures as new team averages will then be issued to come into force on August 1, at which point Bees can assess any options for the run-in which also sees them still involved in the Knockout Cup and the Craven Shield competitions as well as the League.

Inconsistency has dogged them throughout the season so far, with manager Peter Oakes saying: "There's nothing wrong with each individual rider on his day, and that's what makes it harder. Each rider can go from turning in a really terrific performance to a mediocre one, points-wise.

"Monday's result was one of the most disappointing I have known, and we have to turn things around pretty quickly."

IPSWICH: Piotr Swiderski, Chris Louis R/R, Jarek Hampel, Steve Johnston, Robert Miskowiak, Tobias Kroner, Chris Schramm.

BUILDBASE BEES: Chris Harris, Olly Allen, Simon Stead, Billy Janniro R/R, Rory Schlein, Stan Burza, Andreas Messing.