PREVIEW: KING’S LYNN v IPSWICH (KO CUP S/F)
EAST Anglian rivals King’s Lynn and Ipswich clash at the Adrian Flux Arena tonight (Monday) in the first leg of what promises to be a hard-fought KO Cup semi-final.
The sides defeated Oxford and Belle Vue respectively to reach this stage, with the Witches seeking to regain the silverware they claimed in 2023 only to lose out to Sheffield in last year’s Final.
Lynn bring in Peter Kildemand to guest for the injured Ben Cook, and the new averages see Richard Lawson moving to No.1 with Jan Kvech switching to reserve.
Ipswich again operate rider replacement for Jason Doyle who is ruled out with a hip injury, whilst Simon Lambert guests at reserve for broken scaphoid victim Dan Thompson.
Stars boss Rob Lyon said: “We all know the significance of any match against Ipswich but this one is particularly important with it being a Cup semi-final, and the riders are all fully aware of that.
“It’s vitally important that we beat them on Monday and hopefully build a lead to take down there, and that’s something we are capable of doing if we can just find that consistency which we’ve lacked at times.
“We didn’t want to do r/r so we thank Peter for coming in for us, and we will all be ready for a strong challenge from Ipswich even though they have a couple of riders out.”
Witches manager Ritchie Hawkins said: “It is not ideal to have the semi-final whilst we have injuries, but we have got a great side and a side that is more than capable of covering them.
“We are focused on making our third Cup Final in three years and it is a competition we really want to win again.
“Bar one slight blip, as a team we have been exceptional this season and it fills us with confidence to know how good we have been and how capable our whole side is. We are capable of covering the missing riders and making the Final if we perform near our capabilities.”
KING’S LYNN: Richard Lawson, Peter Kildemand, Nicolai Klindt, Chris Harris, Niels-Kristian Iversen, Jan Kvech, Ashton Boughen.
IPSWICH: Emil Sayfutdinov, Jason Doyle r/r, Adam Ellis, Tom Brennan, Danny King, Simon Lambert, Jordan Jenkins.
SCB Referee: Willie Dishington
