GRESHAM Oxford Cheetahs' recent good form will be put to the test when they visit Manchester tonight to take on second-placed Belle Vue Aces in their Elite League clash.
Back-to-back victories over leaders Ipswich and King's Lynn within a week have boosted confidence in the camp.
But on their last visit to Kirky Lane, Cheetahs were well beaten 55-35 and that's a scoreline they don't want this time, especially with the return at Cowley on Sunday (7.30pm).
The Aces are a very strong outfit on home soil and with the likes of Joe Screen, Ronnie Correy and Jason Lyons, Cheetahs will have to produce three men to match their efforts.
One man sure to do so is Jason Crump, who already has a full house to his credit round the northern circuit this year.
His efforts over the last two weeks have been amazing but, according to his grandfather, Australian team manager Neil Street, the injuries he has suffered have helped him in a way, by giving him a break, something riders desperately need at this stage of the season.
Despite the latest victory at King's Lynn, Cheetahs still trail Swindon by eight points, but with three matches in hand. They still face a tough task to make the top six and a place in the end-of-season play-offs.
Belle Vue: Screen, Klingberg, Correy, Lyons, Tesar, Wilson.
Oxford: Crump, Johnston, Wiltshire, Hurry, Schofield, Staechmann.
Elite League
P W D L B PtsKIpswich 23 19 0 4 9 47KBelle Vue 23 16 0 7 6 38KEastbourne 24 13 0 11 6 32KCoventry 24 11 1 12 8 31KWolverhampton 23 12 1 10 6 31KSwindon 23 11 0 12 4 26KOxford 20 8 1 11 1 18KKing's Lynn 25 7 1 17 1 16KPoole 23 5 0 18 1 11 K
Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.
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