BELLE VUE star Peter Karlsson recovered from a nightmare two-point display at Eastbourne to lead the Aces to a 48-44 win over title favourites Poole.

BELLE VUE star Peter Karlsson recovered from a nightmare two-point display at Eastbourne to lead the Aces to a 48-44 win over title favourites Poole.

Karlsson, who scored 14, said: “I had my worst meeting ever at Eastbourne and don’t know why. But I was glad to help the side have a fine win over a very strong Poole side, especially with Hans (Andersen) being out injured.”

Aces boss Chris Morton added: “There were three points up for grabs if we won by more than seven but also three points for us to lose so it was not disappointing to come away with two.”

COVENTRY boss Alun Rossiter knows his side face two big matches this week against Swindon (away) and Peterborough (home) as they look to maintain their positive recent run.

The Bees won 49-41 at Ipswich last Thursday and Rossiter said: “I’m very happy with that, we’ve been pushing the riders on and we’ve certainly turned the corner because the last few weeks have been a lot better. Four points is all you can ask for.

“In a way it’s still frustrating because of what could have been this season, but we’re still hanging in there and we’re not giving up completely on the play-offs. It’s going to take a big push but we’ll battle on.”

EASTBOURNE promoter Mike Bellerby is eyeing the possibility of a repeat of the 2008 Knockout Cup Final when the Eagles lifted the silverware against South coast rivals Poole.

The Eagles go into quarter-final action against Lakeside on Thursday and Bellerby said: “We must look to make up for what must be classed a disappointing Elite League campaign by chasing Knockout Cup glory. If we can make our way past Lakeside and book a place in the semi-final, who knows just what might happen.

“With Poole in the other half of the draw, it would certainly prove the perfect end to our season if we were fortunate enough to face the Pirates once again in the Final, just think we could yet have a repeat of 2008 on our hands.”

IPSWICH gave their flagging season a boost with an impressive 56-37 win over Swindon at Foxhall - maintaining a remarkable record around their home circuit this season.

The Witches bounced back from their home defeat against Coventry last Thursday, meaning that their home form in all competitions from the start of the season reads win-lose-win-lose throughout the campaign!

LAKESIDE boss Jon Cook has explained the decision-making process which led to Daniel Davidsson being replaced in the Hammers team by Peter Ljung.

He told Speedway Star: “We had been looking at all the options open to us for a while because it was clear that we needed to alter the team after losing our form. We spoke to Paul (Hurry), Daniel and Kake Nieminen after our second away defeat at Coventry and they were told that we would be looking for an improvement in their form.

“To be fair Kake responded well. By his own admission Daniel didn’t know why he had lost his form and he was very honest about that, so we made the move to replace him. It certainly wasn’t a case of him being dropped but more a case of us mutually agreeing that, at this moment in time, he wasn’t in any shape to be riding in England.”

PETERBOROUGH skipper Niels-Kristian Iversen believes his side are gaining in strength at just the right time of the season.

The Panthers are likely play-off qualifiers, and Iversen said: “The team is getting stronger all the time and I definitely think our best days are in front of us. Our reserves are settling in and everyone in the main body of the team is starting to show their best form.

““I feel we can beat any team on aggregate over two legs which we will need to do if we reach the play-offs.”

POOLE’S long-serving star Bjarne Pedersen insists he has no thoughts of walking away from British speedway or the Wimborne Road club.

Pedersen said: “Last year I had a low average so I could fit into this year’s team. Right now my average is much higher.

“I feel I can live up to my current average next year. At the end of the day it’s down to Matt Ford to pick the team. If he does pick me, I’ll go for it.”

SWINDON are assessing their options for replacing Thomas H Jonasson, who has incurred a 28-day ban after missing the Robins’ televised defeat at Ipswich on Monday.

Manager Ronnie Russell said: “Thomas remains an integral part of Swindon Speedway’s future and I fully expect him to feature heavily in our 2011 team building plans. It’s disappointing for Thomas that his 2010 campaign has concluded in this manner. Having spoken to him I know he feels desperately sorry about letting the Swindon fans down.”

“However, the club will ensure that the necessary changes are made to THJ’s off-track set-up to ensure future campaigns at Blunsdon aren’t hindered by organisational issues.”

WOLVERHAMPTON youngster Ludvig Lindgren says he is pleased with his form in his first full Elite League season - and he’s hoping to help his side to retain their title.

Lindgren said: “I know I’ve still got a long way to go, but I do feel this has been my breakthrough season in England and it underlines the fact that I did the right thing in moving to the Elite League.

“I’m feeling good about things and so are the team. There are some very important meetings ahead of us and it would be an unbelievable achievement if the team could win the league again.”