PREVIEW: OXFORD v POOLE (C-KOC SF)
OXFORD boss Peter Schroeck believes tonight’s (Tuesday) Championship KO Cup clash with Poole is the biggest meeting since the re-launch of the club.
The sides meet in the first leg of the semi-final at Cowley with the Cheetahs, who have been in good form of late, looking to turn the tables following their BSN Series group defeats against the Pirates.
But the Dorset side have not lost a KO Cup tie since 2018, and have collected the silverware at Championship level in both of the last two seasons.
Ryan Kinsley continues at reserve for the Cheetahs as he stands in for the injured Luke Killeen, whilst the visitors are set to be at full strength for the first of two clashes in 24 hours.
Schroeck said: “This is a huge fixture for us. We’ve not been this close to reaching a major Final since reopening our doors just over a year ago, so we’re looking to thrive under the pressure.
“Poole are such a strong team at this level and their quality cannot be questioned. We’ve got to ensure we win the arm-wrestle and pick up those crucial second and third places during times in both legs when the going could get tough.
“As I’ve mentioned previously, I believe we are a far stronger team physically and mentally since we last raced Poole. But this is where the talking ends and we prove our quality on track following an encouraging month of performances.”
Poole promoter Dan Ford said: “We are under no illusions, this is going to be tough. I know that we beat Oxford in the BSN group both home and away but that in itself is bound to have them wanting to avenge those results.
“But I have a lot of faith in our lads, they have repeatedly shown this season that they can grind important results out when the pressure is on.
“We haven’t seen the very best of the Pirates yet this season, there is more in the tank and we will be looking to try and maintain our proud Cup record. I think we are in for two very exciting meetings this week.”
OXFORD: Sam Masters, Cameron Heeps, Lewis Kerr, Jordan Jenkins, Scott Nicholls, Henry Atkins, Ryan Kinsley.
POOLE: Steve Worrall, Anders Rowe, Ben Cook, Zach Cook, Richard Lawson, Kyle Newman, Adam Roynon.
