Wolverhampton and Coventry are involved in a crucial sequence of Elite League fixtures this week - and will be wary of former favourites doing damage to their aspirations, writes David Rowe.
Wolves team manager Peter Adams has highlighted the need for an away win if they are to mount a realistic chase for a playoff place. There are two opportunities to gain that in the next four days.
Following tonight's home match against Ipswich, Wolves travel to Arena-Essex on Wednesday and face the return against the Witches at Foxhall on Thursday.
The Arena match will bring back pleasant memories of last season when Wolves romped to a 60-36 win at the Purfleet venue but this time things may be more difficult.
The Hammers are still in the lower reaches of the Elite League but will have Wolves asset Mikael Max making his home debut. Max has been riding in Europe for the last few weeks after having the metalwork removed from his leg after his season-ending crash last season. He joins Arena permanently after fellow Swede Andreas Jonsson started the campaign there. Unlike brother Peter Karlsson, Max has ridden for Wolverhampton in the Elite League only and when he lines up in heat one it will be against Karlsson and other brother Magnus!
Despite Wolves's position, Adams still harbours hopes of a push to the top of the table in the next three months and is particularly pleased that the much-vaunted top three of Karlsson, Billy Hamill and Fredrik Lindgren are scoring big points.
Coventry come up against one of the men who helped them to the title last season when they face Swindon on Thursday and Friday.
The Bees, who have a genuine chance of an away win at East-bourne tonight, travel to the in-form Robins on Thursday with Polish star Sebastian Ulamek in good form. Ulamek joined late last season but there was no room for him in this year's line-up. He moved to Blunsdon where he forms a strong top three with Leigh Adams and another ex-Coventry man in Lee Richardson, and scored a 15-point maximum in a comfortable win over Oxford last Thursday. ..SUPL:
