Wouldn't be too high if Plymouth felt he could do a better job than Klima though. Personally speaking, all that matters is Tobias takes the time to get himself 100% after a truly horrific crash. Hopefully look forward to seeing him as a Gladiator in 2027 at least
Congratulations to the Monarchs who thoroughly deserved the victory and were possibly value for a little more. Gladiators simply never got going. Only led once as I alluded to in the commentary and looked off it all night. Incredible support from the Monarchs fans and great to see the riders acknowledge that at the end. Great spirit between all fans at the end mingling and talking.
Close competitive sport, good crowd, great weather - it's what it's all about. The Coliseum has once again served up a thrilling end to proceedings, shame the home side were on the wrong end of it this time around but still so much to play for. Scott Nicholls - Incredible performance. Ran out of adjectives for him.
Seems like both legs of this KO Cup Semi-Final stage are going to be crackers. Great to see it being competitive and not dominated or one-sided. May the best team win on Saturday
What can Poole do though? Bowes average is 5.05 and they are already 5.34 over the limit?
Apologies for my ignorance if I'm missing something there, just feels like there's not much they can do without changing a heat leader too?
I've been fortunate enough to witness several incredible sporting moments, from Argyle beating Liverpool in the FA Cup, Plymouth Albion going to Twickenham in the old Powergen Cup Final, several incredible cricket matches with Somerset...
That last night is right up there. But it wasn't just last night, it was 30 heats of speedway, every twist and turn with jeopardy involved. We all hoped the racing would be just as exciting as it was on Friday up in Redcar and the Coliseum delivered. People do enjoy bashing the Plymouth track but the racing across every heat last night was off the charts. Jake Mulford and Jody Scott belying their age and producing fabulous performances. Jason Edwards once again delivering around the Coliseum. Danny King and Scott Nicholls standing up when their club needed it most, Ben Barker leaving everything out there for the cause.
Tremendous crowd, fabulous atmosphere and I loved every moment of being on Gladiators TV commentating on that clash. The final will be a brilliant occasion whether it's the Bandits or the old foes the Pirates. Redcar left Devon with nothing but respect last night for playing a huge role in an excellent knockout clash. Fair play to the Bears fans who made the long trip down and added to the crowd noise.
The final will be a great reward for Mark, Garry, Barry and everyone involved with Plymouth Speedway for the hard work they are putting in to buck the trend of speedway's popularity in this country. It's alive and kicking in Devon that's for sure but they will not be going for the day out in the final... they want that trophy!
Thought it was an excellent meeting that was as close as expected. Tonight will be no different. Allen, Edwards, Mulford have all scored big at Plymouth. Lambert has guested here plenty in recent times...
Plymouth will need to be on it from Heat 1 tonight to try and get the tie level as quickly as they can, they worst nightmare for the Bears is a 5-1 in Heat 1...
Hoping for a HUGE crowd tonight, looking outside my window currently at 08.43 and there isn't a cloud in the sky - should be a cracking finale to this tie, hope plenty of you join us on Gladiators TV later
Both sides at full strength on Friday (Live on BSN).
Redcar: Klindt, Piper, Lambert, Edwards, Allen, Mulford, Scott
Plymouth: King, Thompson, Klima, Barker, Nicholls, Grmek, Spencer
Should be a cracking two-legged contest.
There hasn't been Speedway in Plymouth since May 16th. Fingers crossed the big crowds continue. Club have been promoting this one for a while and there's no clashing sport in the city other than the local cricket leagues which should be concluded by tapes up time.
Massive weekend ahead possibly for the Gladiators as they push for a historic place in the KO Cup Final. Would be a fantastic reward for Mark Phillips, Barry Bishop, Garry May and every associated with Plymouth Speedway who are working hard to buck the trend of Speedway in this country. The buzz around home meetings now is great to see.
Two good sides, this will be a cracking two-legged tie. Looking forward to covering this on Gladiators TV
Congratulations to Mark and the whole team at Plymouth who obtained a notable achievement on Saturday by having a record attendance for over 10 years in the defeat against the Pirates.
Fantastic for a sport that needs positive news stories to see a club going in the right direction and the swell of momentum behind the club within Plymouth. It's fantastic to see and long may it continue.
Would love to see Nicholls back for the Gladiators for 2026. Seemed to really enjoy his time in Devon where the pressure was off for him and he was able to just enjoy being back on his bike. Feel like Joe T is likely to return along with the hugely exciting Klima. Think Barker did enough in the Poole fixture alone to earn himself a spot back in the team.
Would be open to seeing Tobias race for the Gladiators next season, he was excellent when guesting for the club. I think what we will see is plenty of people have had their opinions on Plymouth changed within the sport over the last 6 months with how things have played out for the club. This is very much a club who are trying to beat the curve and sail forward with the wind behind them. Crowds through the roof, atmosphere at home fixtures unlike any other, fantastic racing on the track too. Plenty of riders spoke very highly of appearing for/at Plymouth last year and I think Garry will be very happy with the options he'll have available to him when building the team.