PETERBOROUGH Panthers complete their Elite League fixtures for 2009 with a visit to Wimborne Road on Monday in a fixture to be screened live on Sky Sports.

PETERBOROUGH Panthers complete their Elite League fixtures for 2009 with a visit to Wimborne Road on Monday in a fixture to be screened live on Sky Sports.

This re-arranged fixture should have taken place on August 26 but was subject to rain on that date and now takes place on the last official date for EL matches to count for the play off's.

Having narrowly lost at Belle Vue last Monday the Panthers cannot now make the play off's but the fixture does have some importance as it looks like Poole will need to win to avoid finishing bottom of the Elite League and having to face the Premier League play-off winners.

Poole led by Panthers asset Hans Andersen and Chris Holder have an impressive spearhead but have paid the price all season for a weaker tail which has seen them beaten eight times and held twice to a draw at Wimborne Road, and they narrowly lost at home to Belle Vue on Thursday which means they have dropped below the Aces in the league table.

Latest information from Poole is that they are expecting Steve Boxall to be well enough to ride on Monday after he pulled out of Thursday's home defeat against Belle Vue after feeling unwell.

Panthers are missing Belle Vue hero Henning Bager who has a prior engagement confirmed before this date was agreed and the Panthers will run with a PL guest at no 6 in his place, at this moment in time that guest has still to be confirmed. Panthers are however confident that Kenneth Hansen will be fit and he was awaiting medical clearance to ride again by the weekend. If this was forthcoming he was planning to practise over the weekend with a view to a track return on Monday.

Team manager Trevor Swales said: “Clearly this is a more important match for Poole than us now that we cannot make the play off's as they need to win to avoid bottom place, but we are not going to make it easy for them and in our last two away matches the riders have ridden very well and have helped each other in the pits; collectively they are working well as a team and its nice to see. We do need more race wins from our heat leaders and its obviously not going to be easy but we aren't going there just to make the numbers up”.

Owner Rick Frost said: “There is no pressure on our team now as we are no longer in a 'must-win' situation. That does not mean however we won't do our best to win. It simply means a relaxed and happy team usually do better than a team under pressure.”