Sheffield Tigers: Skipper poised to complete return from dislocated shoulder

Skipper Howarth has been out since last month with the aftermath of a badly dislocated shoulder sustained at Newcastle.

But he’s sat out recent action and is in line to return for the trip to Lakeside at Arena-Essex Raceway.

Said Howarth: “It’s feeling better every day and I hate being on the sidelines. I’m not very good at watching the sport.

“It was a nasty one. The shoulder was out of place for a couple of hours and when I got to hospital in Newcastle they put me out to put it back in.

“The big concern was the damage around it and the muscles, but I’ve had my arm in a sling and rested the shoulder. I’m desperate to get back out there.

“As a team we need to get some good results on the board from now on because it’s all about making the play-offs at the end of the season.”

He admits Lakeside is a tough place to visit with the tight, technical track.

“I’ve had some good meetings there and some not so good,” he said.

“But hopefully we can go there and get a good result on Friday because if we can keep winning our home meetings then we’ll be in a good position for the play-offs.

“We know it’s a vital part of the season now we’re into July and the meetings will come thick and fast.

“There’s still a lot of points to race for but there’s no reason why we can’t make the play-offs and push for a second successive league title – but we all know that’s never easy.”

Tigers have confirmed the next Owlerton action will be the Top Gun individual meeting on Thursday week, July 19.

Teenage sensation Kyle Bickley is included alongside Coty Garcia and Aussie youngster Josh Coyne.