Speedway: Teenage ace Drew Kemp hopes he can turn a corner in Sheffield Tigers' crucial run-in

Tigers have got work to do to stay in the Championship’s top four and secure a play-off position - and have nine vital fixtures upcoming over the next four weeks.

Every rider will have their part to play - including Kemp.

His first full season in the second tier has been a harsh learning experience along the way and the 16-year-old admits it’s been tougher than he imagined.

But last time out against Eastbourne he showed how desperate he was to battle for every single point - and he’s vowed to give it everything he’s got knowing he could have a big say in the club’s fortunes.

“I’m glad I haven’t been feeling any real pressure from anyone at Sheffield,” Kemp said.

“The only pressure I’ve been feeling is what I’ve been putting on myself because I don’t want to be scoring any less than four points a meeting really.

“In an ideal world I’ll be scoring double that at least but like I say, everyone at Sheffield keeps working with me and I can’t thank them enough for that.

“To get a race win against Eastbourne and pick up some points that I really had to work hard for did boost my confidence a bit.

“Nobody gives you an inch at this level so you’ve got to be prepared to battle and to fight and again like I showed against Eastbourne, it you’ve got to ride the fence to find a way past then so be it.

“I’ve said before that being in the main body of the team and being at No.2 especially is a lot harder but I’ve got a job to do and I’ve got to do everything I can to make sure I get the points for the team.

“We’ve shown a couple of times how dominant we can be when we all fire and for me we need to start doing that a lot more now to make sure we get into those play-offs.

“Obviously I know I need to do my bit as I’ve said but I’d like to think I’m starting to show a bit more of what I am capable of - now I just need to do it a bit more regularly.”

Tigers are back at Owlerton this Sunday (5.30) when they face Newcastle but first it’s a trip to fellow top four contenders Redcar on Friday (7.30).