Following their thrashing at Workington on Saturday, things didn’t get any better in yesterday’s match against Edinburgh.
The Monarchs took probably their easiest ever victory over a Tigers team over reliant on captain Joe Screen and a battling performance from James Grieves.
Things started badly with Joe S unable to split Craig Cook and Derek Sneddon in heat 1 and by heat 3 the Monarchs had effectively won the match by being 15-3 up. James G managed to split Vissing and Tabaka in heat 4 to at least stop the run of 5-1s. Cook and Sneddon took another maximum in heat 5 to leave the visitors an incredible 24-6 up.
Speedway’s version of snookers made an appearance in heat 6 with Joe S donning the black and white double point helmet colour. He duly delivered and with Henning Bager slipping inside Vissing down the back straight the 8-1 put the Tigers back in it at 14-25.
Any thoughts of an unlikely come back were dashed in the next one with both Monarchs getting past James G to go 30-15 up.
Henning took the second double point ride in heat 8 but had no answer to Sneddon and Tabaka’s gate and another 5-1 was posted. James W looked to have made the start in heat 9 but was easily passed by Vissing, Joey also following suit. That’s the way it looked like staying until Joey lost control coming off the final bend and fell just before the finish line, his bike collecting Mitchell Davey who was close behind. Mitchell suffering a broken wrist.
Theo Pijper made the start in heat 10 with Joe S in pursuit. Theo looked to have seen him off but Joe got passed him on the outside of bend two on the last lap for the 3-3.
Sneddon duly collected his maximum in heat 11, whilst James G kept Cook out for a lap and a half until passed down the back straight for another 5-1.
Heat 12 saw James W make a start (after being pulled back in the first running) but he was quickly passed by Pijper but looked like keeping Tabaka out until a last bend lock up allowed the Hungarian past.
Heat 13 and Joe S just got the better of Cook on the first bend and just kept him at bay for the rest of the race. James G took third for Glasgow’s second heat advantage.
Harley made a start in heat 14 but Tabaka was quickly past, Fricke a comfortable third with Joey well back.
Heat 15 saw Cook back in winning ways although James G was close to him throughout, Joe S seemed to have bike problems in third but Pijper had already retired with similar problems.
Final score was 61-32
Glasgow: Screen 14+1, Bager 3+1, Wright 3, Ringwood 2, Grieves 7, Horwood 3, Jacobs 0.
Edinburgh: Cook 13+1, Sneddon 10+2, Pijper 10+1, Fricke 7+2, Vissing 6, Davey 5, Tabaka 10+3
Edinburgh won as they pleased and probably the only disappointment apart from Mitchell Davey’s injury was that this match was in the League cup and not the league itself.
For the home side it can only be hoped that changes mentioned at the end of the match by manager Sean Courtney can be realised as Tigers have been increasingly looking like a two man team of late.