Peterborough Panthers meeting off as team boss backs Artem to roar into action when racing resumes

The club have studied weather forecasts and the radar, which indicate rain moving in throuhgout the evening.The meeting has been provisionally re-arranged for Monday September 11, with a new date for the home match against King's Lynn to be confirmed.

Meanwhile Panthers team boss Rob Lyon is backing new Russian rider Artem Laguta to come good when racing resumes.

The only rider Laguta, the 2021 World Champion, beat in his four races against Ipswich on Monday night was 16-year-old rookie Ashton Boughen, who was making just his second top-flight appearance.

Panthers beat Ipswich 48-42 in the second leg of a KO Cup semi-final, but lost 99-81 on aggregate.

Panthers can now concentrate on getting off the bottom of the Premiership, starting with a home meeting with Sheffield Tigers next Monday (September 4, 7.30pm).

Lyon said: “You like to think a rider of Artem’s quality is going to get it right and hopefully he will against Sheffield.

“I’m sure he wants to race in the UK and I’m sure he’s as upset as anyone else that, for whatever reason, it didn’t work out on Monday.”

Laguta was sacked by local rivals King’s Lynn as they brought in former skipper Robert Lambert ahead of Monday night’s transfer deadline, but his agent Rafal Lewicki was in contact with several clubs to try and find a new team place for the former Grand Prix regular and he chose Peterborough ahead of Leicester.

“Artem definitely wants to do well,” claimed Lyon. “But, unfortunately, if he doesn’t get it right people will look to his ability and believe he should be doing better.

"I nearly pulled Artem out of his last ride against Ipswich, but I told him to try something different, which he did.

“That’s the way it goes sometimes, but the team won and that’s the main thing and I certainly won’t be coming to any firm conclusions after one meeting.”

And Lyon can point to the equally disastrous first meeting for Patryk Wojdylo who finished last in every race on his Panthers’ debut, but followed that up with a total of 25 points in his next two matches at the East of England Arena.

Unfirtunately visa problems saw Wojdylo return home to Poland with Laguta coming in to replace him.

Lyon admitted: “There were some people suggesting we get rid of Patryk after he failed to score in his first meeting and a week later the same people were hailing him as a wonder signing!

“If you think back to where we have come from and where we have been the last two weeks, we’ve gone from being the worst team in the league to a team that has won against two of the best sides there are and the feelgood factor is back for everyone.

"We shouldn’t overlook that.”

Panthers now have four Premiership home matches to go and Lyon, who led the team to the title two years ago, believes his side can stay unbeaten for the rest of the season.

They are still bottom of the table, but are only one point behind King’s Lynn in the battle to avoid the wooden spoon.

Lynn are in action at Sheffield tonight.