PREVIEW: OXFORD v BELLE VUE (ROWE MOTOR OIL PREM)

OXFORD will hand Australian youngster Mitch McDiarmid a debut in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership when they face champions Belle Vue at Cowley tonight (Thursday).

17-year-old McDiarmid has been a huge success in their second-tier side this season, and now he gets his chance at the top level with Peter Kildemand ruled out due to knee damage in the match at Sheffield on Monday.

Spires are also without Craig Cook and Erik Riss for illness-related reasons, with Kyle Howarth and Victor Palovaara stepping into the side.

The Aces have Jake Mulford returning after missing the home win over Leicester on Monday, whilst Paco Castagna guests for Norick Blodorn who is racing in Poland.

With the aggregate point very much in their hands after a 58-32 win in the reverse fixture, victory on the road would take Mark Lemon’s side top of the table.

Oxford boss Peter Schroeck said: “We want Spires to finish the season strongly, particularly at home.

“We are just concentrating on ourselves, and in particular on our home performances.

“Away from home can be tough at times, as demonstrated by the meetings at Leicester and Sheffield, but the bread-and-butter is to be competitive and to entertain around our home track. We want to send our fans home from the BetGoodwin Oxford Stadium with a smile on their faces.”

Belle Vue manager Mark Lemon said: “There’s a fair bit of noise about our away form. I’m not willing to get too carried away about it. 

“We’ve had some disappointing defeats at Birmingham and Leicester, but both were without Brady (Kurtz). We also went to Ipswich without Norick. That does have a big impact. 

“If we’d won at Birmingham with Brady, which I think we would have, and got the aggregate point at Ipswich with Norick, I don’t think our away form would have been questioned as much. 

“In saying that, I do want the boys to step it up. We won at Oxford comfortably earlier in the season. That means nothing now. This is a new day and I think they’ve improved a great deal.”

OXFORD: Maciej Janowski, Kyle Howarth, Charles Wright, Victor Palovaara, Rohan Tungate, Mitch McDiarmid, Luke Killeen.

BELLE VUE: Brady Kurtz, Paco Castagna, Jaimon Lidsey, Zach Cook, Dan Bewley, Tate Zischke, Jake Mulford.

SCB Referee: Simon Humphrey-Kennett

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