Ipswich Tru7 Group Witches skipper Danny King admits travelling well could be the key to their Rowe Motor Oil Premiership play-off bid as they head to Leicester on Monday.
The Witches journey to the Hydroscand Arena where they defend a 50-40 aggregate advantage from the first leg at Foxhall on August 20.
That was their sole victory over the Lions in five meetings between the sides this season, but with just four fixtures left to secure a top-four finish, King knows this is the moment for his side to deliver the points.
He said: “We really need to get some points on the road just to try and bump ourselves up there a bit more. We’ll just concentrate on them one at a time, and that starts with Leicester on Monday.
“We are very evenly matched teams, and I think you could see that in our meetings both home and away this season.
“They have got the better of us, but it has been close almost every time. It was nice to get the win over them at Foxhall and it would be nice to get the better of them on their turf this time.
“I think it’s going to come down to those bonus points – they are going to be crucial. It will make a big difference. We have to go there with the attitude of getting the win, but if we can’t do that, it’s very important we get that bonus.”
The Witches are currently fourth in the Premiership standings on 19 points – just one behind Sheffield in third and four short of Leicester in second. But they are also just two clear of East Anglian rivals King’s Lynn in fifth, who are fighting to knock them out of the play-off places.
Following their clash with Leicester, Ipswich visits Northampton on Thursday, before hosting two crunch home clashes next week – the first against Sheffield next Monday, before leaders Belle Vue visit on Thursday, September 10.
Finishing fourth would almost certainly earn Ipswich a semi-final against the Aces, but King is keen to see his side climb the ladder.
He said: “We have a chance to finish at least third, which is what we would like to do. Next week we have Belle Vue, who are the favourites. That’s at home and if we can put on a strong performance and show them that we are a force to be reckoned with, I think it puts us in good stead for the play-offs and it’ll make people think about us.”
The Witches hope to have club legend Scott Nicholls back soon, although he is replaced by Danish guest Nicolai Klindt against Leicester as the seven-time British champion continues his recovery from a broken collarbone.
King is backing Nicholls to pick the right moment to make his comeback. He said: “Scott has been a fantastic rider for us this year. I am gutted to see he is on the sidelines.
“But Scott is sensible. Well, I say he is sensible – he did go out in the rerun with a broken collarbone! But normally he’s sensible, and he isn’t going to rush back before he is ready.
“He knows how important this is to the club. Of course, he will come back when he is ready, and hopefully that will be in the very near future.”
Witches’ trip to Leicester is available to stream online HERE via Lions TV.
STARTING LINE-UP
LEICESTER LIONS: 1. Ryan Douglas, 2. Drew Kemp, 3. Sam Masters (captain), 4. Dan Thompson, 5. Nick Morris, 6. Jordan Jenkins (guest), 7. Joe Thompson.
IPSWICH TRU7 GROUP WITCHES: 1. Richard Lawson, 2. Nicolai Klindt (guest), 3. Danny King (captain), 4. Tom Brennan, 5. Tobiasz Musielak, 6. Kevin Juhl Pedersen, 7. Jason Edwards.