Speedway: Sheffield draft in GP star as cover for Tai Woffinden for Premiership clash with Birmingham

Boss Simon Stead has moved to bring in Australian Max Fricke for the televised Rowe Motor Oil Speedway Premiership clash with Birmingham at Perry Bar in the conitinued absence of the Tru7 Group Tigers star, who broke his elbow in a GP in Poland at the end of last month.

The Leicester rider, who previously guested for Sheffield in last season’s KO Cup final against Ipswich, is set to slot in at number five, with former World Champion Chris Holder moving back to his customary number three.

Sheffield hope to end a run of three away defeats, but go into the meeting on the back of their biggest win of the season last Thursday, a 58-31 win over King’s Lynn. And Tigers won their last trip to Perry Bar after a super heat, having battled back after trailing by 10 points at one stage.

Team boss Stead said: “The lads are feeling good as a group after Thursday and it’s good to have a quick succession of meetings when the confidence is that high.

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“We know our away form is an area that we need to address and hopefully we can do that on Monday at Birmingham.

“There are no easy meetings in speedway though and the lads have still got a job to do.

“I’m sure Birmingham will be desperate to get the win as well so we’re expecting them to come at us; we just need to go there and apply ourselves in the correct manner and hopefully we’ll have too much for them over the course of the 15 heats.”

Birmingham, on a run of six straight defeats in all competitions, have recalled Zach Cook to guest in place of former Tiger Justin Sedgmen who suffered concussion at Edinburgh on Friday.

Their chief executive, Nigel Tolley, said: “Everyone on the outside will probably be expecting Sheffield to come and take the points without many problems at all.

“But for us, the Brummies’ riders are desperate to turn things around - and let’s be honest, there’d be no better way to get things back on track than by beating the champions.

“They may have a good team, but it’s not as if Sheffield have been sparkling on their travels lately.

“So hopefully that will prove to be the case again on Monday and we can get a much needed win.”

Birmingham: Freddie Lindgren, Michael Palm Toft, Wiktor Lampart, Zach Cook, Tom Brennan, Piotr Pawlicki, Leon Flint.

Sheffield: Jack Holder, Kyle Howarth, Chris Holder, Josh Pickering, Max Fricke, Jason Edwards, Dan Gilkes.