Patched-up Panthers face a daunting Monday trip despite making a new signing and borrowing a rider from Sheffield

Action from the Grand Final between Belle Vue and Panathers last season. Photo: Ian Charles/MI News.

The Crendon Panthers won the Premiership title in an epic Grand Final against the Aces last autumn but suffered their heaviest defeat of the season on their last visit to the National Speedway Stadium in early May.

The Manchester side hit 64 points on that occasion and have been rampant on their own circuit for much of the campaign so far.

And Panthers also go into the meeting without Danish duo Michael Palm Toft and Hans Andersen, who are both ruled out with shoulder injuries.

Palm Toft has seen his month of July wrecked after his problems started in a crash when racing for Plymouth at Poole, whilst Andersen came to grief in Panthers’ last fixture at Sheffield ten days ago.

Rider replacement will operate for Palm Toft, giving all riders an additional outing, whilst Sheffield’s Justin Sedgmen steps in to guest for Andersen.

Panthers hand a debut at reserve to new Rising Star signing, British Under 19 Final runner-up Jake Mulford, who races for Belle Vue in the National Development League. Mulford (18), who is also a very proficient grasstrack racer, made his NDL debut with Kent in 2019 and raced for the Kings at Championship level last year.He took a Rising Star berth at his local club King’s Lynn for 2022 ,but found his opportunities restricted due to a lack of racing elsewhere.

With eight matches remaining, Panthers are eleven points behind fourth-placed Wolves, whose two away wins at Alwalton are the difference between the sides.

Boss Rob Lyon said: “Realistically we now have to go and get three or four wins away from home, and also to win all the rest of our home meetings.

“It would be nice to see these boys, who we all saw last year riding so well, get back to that and have a good end to the season.”

BELLE VUE: Matej Zagar, Tom Brennan, Brady Kurtz, Charles Wright, Max Fricke, Jye Etheridge, Norick Blodorn.PETERBOROUGH: Chris Harris, Michael Palm Toft R/R, Ulrich Ostergaard, Scott Nicholls, Justin Sedgmen, Benjamin Basso, Jake Mulford.