Speedway: Sheffield secure play-offs place despite nightmare start to Northampton clash
Win was ‘too close for comfort’, says skipper
Sheffield battled back from a terrible start to beat Northampton and book a Rowe Motor Oil Speedway Premiership play off semifinal against Leicester.
After three Tigers riders had failed to finish in the first three heats, and having trailed 11-6 after heat three, Sheffield recovered to win 50-39 on the night, which saw them take the two points on offer on the night, as well as the aggregate point.
That saw them leapfrog Ipswich to finish third in the table.
After the victory, skipper Josh Pickering described the win as much needed, and too close for comfort.
He said: “it was a bit too close for comfort in my opinion throughout the middle of the meeting. We were behind until heat seven, and we edged our way towards the end, which is a most important win and puts us in the play offs.
“It’s the job that was required and we got it done, so I’m happy about that.”
He said with all the activity that was going on in the pits, he was not aware of all the retirements early on.
Sheffield now know they will face Leicester, and Pickering expects a tough challenge ahead against the team that knocked Tigers out of the play offs in 2025.
He said: “Leicester has always been the toughest team home and away, arguably until the other defeat with Belle Vue the other day, of the last couple of seasons. They are definitely going to give us a good push and a good test, but if we get through them, at least we’ve got a chance at the title.”
Tigers’ night started badly, after heat one had been called back with guest number one Max Fricke in the lead after the referee had seen movement from Anders Rowe at the tapes.
Rowe failed to get away from the tapes at all in the rerun, with Fricke unable to get around Sam Masters and heat winner Jason Edwards, Tigers losing 5-1.
Rising Star Luke Killeen and reserve Jye Etheridge then levelled the scores, Killeen the winner in a Tigers 5-1.
But heat three was a disaster for Sheffield. Leon Flint was excluded after a fall on the third bend, and then Chris Holder suffered mechanical failure while in second place in the rerun. The Foxes pair of Jason Edwards and Adam Ellis recorded a rare 5-0, with neither Tiger finishing.
Sheffield battled back to lead by heat seven, but trailed again after successive 4-2 reverses in heats eight and nine, heat eight seeing another Tigers retirement, with Luke Killeen pulling up in heat eight having looked set before that to score a point.
But two 5-1s and two 4-2s in the last five heats secured the win, with Jye Etheridge continuing his recent good form with a paid 10, and Anders Rowe and Leon Flint both recovering from early setbacks to reach seven, with Flint and Etheridge teaming up for a 5-1 in heat 14 to secure the win.
Sheffield will now face Leicester in the play offs first leg at Owlerton next Thursday.
Sheffield 50: Josh Pickering 12, Max Fricke 9+1, Jye Etheridge 7+3, Anders Rowe 7+1, Leon Flint 7, Chris Holder 4+1, Luke Killeen 4
Northampton 39: Jaimon Lidsey 10, Jason Edwards 9. Sam Masters 7+1, Adam Ellis 6+1, Mitch McDiarmid 5+1, Luke Harrison 2, Kye Thomson r/r
Sheffield win aggregate point