Will Sherwood: Thoughts turning to 2009 as play-offs loom (From Swindon Advertiser)

Will Sherwood: Thoughts turning to 2009 as play-offs loom

9:00am Saturday 13th September 2008 in Track Side

FOLLOWING the postponement of last Friday’s meeting at Coventry it has been a quiet week for the Robins as we wait to ride the final league meeting of the campaign.

A new date of Monday, September 22, has subsequently been agreed with the Bees.

Many of the other teams in the league have a hectic schedule between now and then that will determine whether we have to visit Poole or Lakeside in the play-off semi-finals on September 29.

As has been discussed before, Lakeside is by far the preferred option given that we have lowered their colours three times in the league this season and didn’t beat the Pirates once.

With Swindon not in action on the track, the potential team line-up for 2009 has been at the forefront of people’s thoughts this week.

Leigh Adams and Jurica Pavlic give us an excellent base from which to build, and the management have been actively pursuing the permanent signing of Troy Batchelor from King’s Lynn, which could mean that he will be the third name on the list.

This could be bad news for Mads Korneliussen, who may easily be a victim of his own success when the final pieces of the jigsaw are slotted into place.

It’s all a question of mathematics following the new points limit to be agreed by the BSPA at their autumn conference.

For those who still needed their weekly methanol fix, Thursday night saw England and Australia do battle at the Abbey in an Under 23 fixture, with the Aussies taking the spoils 47-44 after a rally in the final stages of the meeting.

Swindon riders Troy Batchelor (13) and Richard Sweetman (seven) were in fine form for the Aussies, while James Wright racked up paid nine for the English.

This evening sees the next round of the Grand Prix series in Poland and provides an excellent chance for Adams to move up the world standings from his current sixth place.

A place on the rostrum at the end of the season is still within reach, although to win in Bydgoszcz he will need to find a way past home favourite Tomasz Gollob who has won there on five of the last six occasions.

It should be a thriller.