PREVIEW: BELLE VUE v SHEFFIELD (Prem Grand Final)

BELLE Vue host Sheffield in the first leg of the Premiership Grand Final at the National Speedway Stadium tonight (Monday).

The Aces are into their fourth Final in the last seven seasons, but their wait for a top-flight title dates back to 1993, whilst the Tigers have never been crowned champions at this level having returned to the Premiership last year.

All four league meetings between the sides this season have resulted in comfortable home wins, with their early summer clashes resulting in an eight-point aggregate advantage for the Aces, whilst the Tigers were six-up across the more recent encounters last month.

Belle Vue boss Mark Lemon said: “They are a powerful team at home just as we are here in Manchester. I have no doubt that these final two meetings will be as close as it gets, and we are more than aware of the job that we have before us.

“We’ve made it to Grand Finals before, and the boys know the score. The support we have behind us is amazing but there are absolutely no guarantees.

“There’s so much a stake for both sides. We know we need to take a commanding lead to Owlerton and I have confidence that, with this team, we are quite capable of doing so.”

Sheffield manager Simon Stead said: “We know that Belle Vue will be serious customers and very difficult to beat.

“We know that we need to continue riding at our very best, possibly even step it up another level because they’re going to be just as up for it as we are.

“We can head into this Grand Final proud and full of confidence though, because every single one of those boys has been riding their socks off and doing their bit for the team.”

BELLE VUE: Brady Kurtz, Tom Brennan, Matej Zagar, Charles Wright, Robert Lambert, Norick Blodorn, Jye Etheridge.
SHEFFIELD: Jack Holder, Lewis Kerr, Adam Ellis, Kyle Howarth, Tobiasz Musielak, Justin Sedgmen, Connor Mountain.