PETERBOROUGH go into two crucial home matches in the space of five days when Wolverhampton visit the East of England Arena on Thursday (7.30pm).
The Crendon Panthers currently hold fourth place in the Premiership table but need a good haul of points from the clashes with Wolves and then Belle Vue next Monday to set themselves up for a hectic period of away matches.
And they will need an all-round team effort to see off the Monmore men as they go into the meeting without injured skipper Hans Andersen.
The Dane is ruled out following his horror smash in last week’s defeat to Ipswich, where as well as severe concussion he suffered a fractured thumb and a troublesome eardrum injury.
Panthers are assessing their options going forward, but with six of the seven top-flight clubs in action on Thursday, they operate the rider-replacement facility at No.1.
It means all members of the side are eligible for an extra outing, whilst Scott Nicholls takes over the captaincy in Andersen’s absence and Josh Bates returns after his own period on the sidelines with concussion.
Wolverhampton are currently bottom of the table, but they have strengthened in the last week with the arrival of in-form Australian Ryan Douglas, a move which has also resulted in Kyle Howarth dropping to reserve.
The Monmore men ended a run of six successive defeats when they defeated Swindon 48-42 on Monday.
They are without an away win in the Premiership since September 2017, but they ran Panthers close in their Supporters’ Cup visit back in April, when a dramatic last-bend pass by Rohan Tungate on Rory Schlein in Heat 15 secured a 46-44 home win.
Since then, Jacob Thorssell and Nick Morris have returned from early-season injury absences, whilst Luke Becker has continued to make a positive impression at reserve.
Panthers boss Carl Johnson said: “It’s going to be another tough encounter, but one where we need the three points.
“We will need maximum points from this match and Monday to keep ourselves in the race, especially as the table is starting to tighten up now.
“With the seriousness of Hans’ injuries, we don’t know how long he will be out of action, but the management team are working hard behind the scenes to bring in a replacement.”
PETERBOROUGH: Hans Andersen R/R, Ty Proctor, Scott Nicholls, Charles Wright, Rohan Tungate, Aaron Summers, Josh Bates. WOLVERHAMPTON: Rory Schlein, Ryan Douglas, Jacob Thorssell, Nick Morris, Sam Masters, Kyle Howarth, Luke Becker,