torpointfanatic22

Bit of both but the track was shocking. My lad was covered in dust after heat 1 and wasn't quiet about it 🤣 Plymouth barely made a gate all night and even if they made the jump the Oxford boys were generally away off bend 2. I think Oxford will be very tough to beat at home with that top 5, they were very, very good and the current form of Wood at reserve is a massive bonus, thought he was very good value and rode far better than his average. For Plymouth, King was solid enough, Nicholls went from terrible to brilliant after the interval, clearly having mechanical challenges but was far better in 13 and 15. Klima did quite well on his first visit, struggled in heat 2 but then showed some decent speed, needed to get off the white line though. The Slovenian lad looked alright in his first ride, gated but got a bit beaten up and ended up falling, after that was nowhere. Barker was poor bar one ride, Thompson deserved a little more for his efforts and sadly Spencer was way way off it and must be replaced. On last nights showing, I think Glasgow tomorrow could be a bit of a hammering, hope I'm wrong.

Great, thanks, I'll find it on the map

Hi guys, My son and I are making the trip to Sandy Lane tonight (Plymouth fans, sorry), with the car parking situation highlighted above, can anyone point me in the direction of an alternative place to park please? Thanks so much in advance.

Harsh? Maybe, but he's had 3 matches, 12 rides and scored 3+1 where every point scored was as a result of an exclusion or faller. If he was on the pace, competing, you'd have to say yeah give him more time, but he's been a mile behind and nowhere near being competitive, I mean at Poole he was 1/4 of a lap behind after the first lap in the reserves race, and even at Plymouth he's been tailed off a long way. It would be harsh, but the best teams make tough decisions no matter how early on and while the spare points are there, we should be all over a stronger number 7 especially with this new Slovenian lad who is unlikely to produce the kind of points Tobias would have got us (at least early on). Trigger isn't pulling up trees but he'd definitely be a better option at this stage imo. We've 3 cup matches this week and assuming we don't make a change prior to those, if Spencer doesn't at least get competitive he's got to be gone before the league action starts.

Based on starting 1-7's that lets face it mean nothing as hardly any will actually stay the same due to injuries / form but... 1. Poole 2. Oxford 3. Glasgow 4. Plymouth 5. Worky 6. Edinburgh 7. Berwick 8. Redcar 9. Scunthorpe Think 4th, 5th and 6th could go to any one of the three there and hope Plymouth sneak it

Very true and as much as I like Alfie, he's had plenty of chances at Plymouth to improve and while his home form has been good, away he's just not kicked on. Don't think the promotion can be knocked for that one. Tobi went really well at Plymouth last year and it would appear the promotion are being more ambitious and looking for riders that can perform away from home in 2026, fair play to them. Fully expect Barker to be back and if we can find a strong reserve we could surprise a few.

Not having Nicholls as number 1 will be crucial and I love the idea of a return for Dan, although I'd be shocked if that happened. The only reason I'd bring back Joe is if he comes with Dan, I thought Joe was disappointing last year and the amount of times I saw him give the first bend was quite telling, still young enough to improve of course but he hasn't shown the improvement I'd hoped for. I'd step away from Alfie personally, he's a top guy but he's reached his level imo. As a reserve, maybe but I'd look at other options. Klima could be interesting, would be good to have another look at him. I'd happily have Klindt back...Providing he can turn up.

He'll be back, he's been poor away but his home form continues to see him perform really well plus his connections to the promotion will see him back.

And the prize for 'How to contradict oneself in the same post', goes to... The rules at the end of the day are what they are, do most people agree with them, not really. But the reality is, Plymouth saw two riders injured less than 24 hours before staging this meeting. They also had two others injured from 7 days prior. At this point in the season to suggest they could sign replacements is a bit of a joke (as much of a joke as the guest system but hey ho). Context is everything.

Not the most entertaining of meetings for passing but not a bad first visit to Oxford Stadium and my lad (who was taking in his first live speedway) loved it so a good night overall. On the track for Plymouth, Klindt was different class and won all his races by a mile, looking fast. Nicholls also rode really well. Barker rode as Barker does, lots of effort but he's just not the level he once was and rode like a decent 2nd string. As for the rest... Thompson was pretty poor until making the start in heat 14, he tended to just get beaten up a bit on the opening bends and then stuck mainly to the inside half of the track (not the place to be after the first few races). Alfie was pretty poor and should be riding better than that away from home nowadays, just never looked quite on the pace and was lucky to hang on to his heat 2 victory, albeit credit must be given to Luke Killeen who rode exceptionally for a reserve rider for Oxford. Of the guests, I thought Perry looked a far more accomplished rider than I'd seen of him previously and just couldn't make a start. Kennedy probably produced the most forgetful guest appearance I've seen in a long time, mainly because he forgot he was even there! Definitely positives for Plymouth but you have to ask when is it time up for these established riders that just aren't kicking on.

Thanks for the replies folks!

Can any of you kind Oxford fans let me know if the stadium has parking please? Looking to make my first visit tomorrow night with my young lad (sorry we're Plymouth fans). Thanks in advance!

Sorry but I can't agree with this, so a rider comes in, rides poorly, nowhere near their average or even worse rides with a complete lack of effort (I've seen plenty of those over the years) and a team then has to either stick with them or pay a fee to get rid. Nah I'm not having that, if you're poor at your job, you get sacked, a big difference from being made redundant.

Well it's the job of the management and promotion to go out and find one.

Take your pick! You'd have to say Cluff based on averages but it depends, who, if anyone, would be willing to sign. If the rider is a 9 point rider for example, then it's time to call it on Bowtell. I've always liked Alfie as a rider and he's good at Plymouth but has never improved away. To be honest outside of Klindt and maybe Thompson you could make a case for all of them to be replaced quite easily.