IPSWICH Witches get back on track for the first time since June 4 with Lakeside Hammers the visitors to Foxhall in the Sky Sports Elite League tonight (7.

Mike Bacon

IPSWICH Witches get back on track for the first time since June 4 with Lakeside Hammers the visitors to Foxhall in the Sky Sports Elite League tonight (7.30pm).

The three-week break is likely to work one of two ways for the home side, who are desperate to regain some form after consecutive home losses to Belle Vue and Swindon.

However, Ipswich will have to do without No.1 Jarek Hampel, who is suffering from a virus and missed Tuesday night's Swedish League fixtures.

He has taken the week off in a bid to get himself fit, so Poole's Bjarne Pedersen dons the No.1 race jacket for the home side.

“Jarek has been under the weather all week and he let us and his Swedish club know early on he wasn't going to be fit,” said team manager Pete Simmons.

“We need to win this one and get things back in order. As a management team we have already stated that if things don't pick up, we will make more changes.

“The club isn't going to just sit on our hands and let the season drift on. We will make changes to improve things because our fans deserve to see a competitive side.”

Robert Miskowiak is back in the Witches line-up tonight after being left out of the side at the start of the season.

He replaces Leigh Lanham, with Danny King taking over the captaincy. Young English reserve Luke Bowen, from Rye House, takes a reserve ride, with Kozza Smith and Carl Wilkinson both unavailable.

Miskowiak will do himself little harm with a solid second half to the season, as he no doubt feels aggrieved at being left out.

“I hope Robert will prove to us what we know he can do,” Simmons added.

Lakeside have won once and lost once at Foxhall so far this season and they are right up in the mix. The Witches have plenty of meetings in hand on teams above them, but their away form is the poorest in the league and while the play-offs are still mathematically in sight, they will need to start picking up points now, starting tonight.

Ipswich: 1 B Pedersen, 2 T Kroner, 3 R Miskowiak, 4 D King, 5 P Swiderski, 6 D Stachyra, 7 L Bowen.

Lakeside: 1 L Richardson, 2 K Nieminen, 3 A Shields, 4 J Davidsson, 5 J Kylmakorpi, 6 P Morris, 7 S Robson.