21st century heathen

Cheers

Agreed. No foreign riders in the NL this season so these 'Aussies' have obviously chosen to ride for GB, the same as Woffinden. On current form and in no particular order I would say the following: Heeps Howarth Newman Worrall Worrall Garrity Pickard Perry/Sarjeant

What a meeting. If every meeting produced that much exciting racing and desire, passion and will to win then win, lose or draw you wouldn't get too many complaints. There are clearly still things to work on for the Heathens, mostly gating it must be said, as in the final analysis we have to acknowledge we only stole a home win by the very narrowest of margins in the last heat. We have to be looking to score maximum league points from our home meetings. But, there were so many positives to come out of this meeting that it's those we should concentrate on this week. After the poor results lately where we appear to have waved a white flag this was the Polar opposite with riders showing a real fighting quality and determination. Armo led from the front this time with a authoritative first ride. He took care of Howarth with an elbow in to the first turn and then made short work of rounding Bekker. He was easily beaten by McKinna once but his only other defeat came in heat 13 when Howarth held him off by mere inches in what was to prove a preview to his heat 15 burst from the back. A true captain's performance and surely an inspiration to his younger team mates to get stuck in. In the context of how important this meeting was given what has gone before over the last 6 weeks I think this is Armo's best performance to date in a Heathens race jacket. Darryl Was in the thick of the action all night but even the random flying starts he was making seem to have deserted him. He is, though, not in first choice equipment at the moment so that could be a factor. He such a good little racer though and was earning vital points from the back. So close to nicking 2nd off Mason in heat 10 which was his race of the night. He's having a good first season and is nearly always very good value for his points. He's certainly one to keep and eye on in my opinion. If he can sort out some better starts he could make a big step forward in the next 12-24 months. Perry had one pretty poor ride, his second, on Tue, but that apart he was very good entertainment value as usual. There's rarely a dull moment when he's on track and he had a couple of good battles with Mason early on. He also entertained with a good hard chase after McKinna. He got as close as anybody could at that stage. Had the finish line been 10m further away he might have just got there. After a difficult start to the season he seems to be finding his feet again and has largely looked pretty good again. Morris is suffering a lack of confidence at the moment. In a weird way it's nice to hear him say that - in the sense that there's nothing physically or mechanically wrong. I think he just needs one good meeting under his belt with no crashes or close calls just to remind himself he's a good rider at this level and can win races with ease. You don't have to be a biased Heathens fan to acknowledge Ash is so much better than 3 points. chin up Ash - it'll come good. Courtney came in with plenty of pressure but not much expectation if the truth be told. His record does not compare with Royno or Newman at this level but we must have carried him to another level because I thought he was superb, all things considered. He made a pass in his first heat and was closing on McKinna, although never anywhere near him in truth. He followed that with one of the home riders' best starts of the season and did well to hold on to the win under pressure. Splitting a strong looking McKinna and Howarth pairing was crucial and he backed that up a couple of heat later with a stormer to reel in McKinna and pass him right on the line in heat 13. And finally another vital 3rd, beating the impressive McKinna, in the last heat decider. Cracking Heathens debut and I humbly apologise for only expecting about 6 points. Franklin proved his overall improvement in form in the last couple of months with a double figure sore which included some good points from the back along the way. He was always in the thick of the action and led a heat that was stopped only to end up third in the re-run so it could easily have been a bigger score. I think the heat 14 win holding off Bekker was probably his ride of the night as it set up heat 15 with the scores level. Stoneman came back to Monmore Wood to a warm welcome and rode better than his score card suggests. He made a good start in heat 2 but from the outside he got pushed out wide and was filled in. He lost a lot of ground trying to grab a tear off on the back straight but set about chasing down Richardson and was easily the faster of the two. As he set up and outside pass around turn 1 and 2 for the last time Richardson made a slight error and straightened up a little which accidentally took Danny out and ruined the line he had worked so hard to set up. He was again chasing Richardson down and looking likely to pass when he steel shoe made a bid for freedom. Unfortunately it was half on and half off leaving no choice but to retire from the heat. He was out paced in his other ride but somewhat 'robbed' of a chance of grabbing a couple of points from the back. Good effort by Danny on his return and his interview after the meeting showed a real maturity when discussing being dropped and subsequently brought back in. More of the same will bring it's own reward I think. I hope this season's experience will set him up nicely for a decent season next year whether it's with us or not. For the visitors McKinna was unbeatable early on but the contrast when he missed the start was stark. Overall though I think everyone would have taken 12 points from him before the meeting so in that regard it was job done. Howarth was very good value for his points and impressive throughout after heat 1. From the front or the back he was involved in some terrific action. Like wise Bekker and Mason were a source of constant annoyance from a Heathens point of view and should be rightly proud of their contribution to a superb night of racing. Widman and Richardson were there or thereabouts and certainly not embarrassed. Their 4 points were as vital as any in the visitors coming so close to a draw/win so they too should have walked away with heads held high. More of the same next week would be a treat...

Your answer may lie in a glance at last season's final table. Three teams were separated by race points difference. Unfortunately the most exciting end to a season that anyone could remember didn't really get much coverage so it may have slipped under the radar for many. http://www.speedwaygb.co/nltable10.html -------------------------------------------------------------------- There is no requirement to name a number 8 squad member this season. Tyrer would have been the other type of number 8 nominated to offer cover where r/r is in use. I think something should be done to differentiate between the types of number 8. It's unnecessarily confusing to any casual supporter. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Ritchings has made his 'effective' debut this season. He did have an odd run out for the Heathens last season as our squad number 8, but this is his first full season of league racing in a team's 1-7. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Personally I would rather see r/r than any body on a bike. If you're got a rider that's up to speed then the chances are you're either using him or loaning him out to another club to get some racing under his belt. I hate doing this (naming names) but who wants to watch teams using riders like Portwood every time a rider is missing? With the best will in the world the lad is just not ready for league racing, and it would be a similar story for other clubs. What I want from a rider like Adam is for him to take the knock of being dropped on the chin, like Stoneman did, and for him to turn up at Monmore Wood every week watching, learning, listening and getting track time in after-meeting practice sessions at every opportunity. The lad can ride a bike but he's nowhere out of the start and does not yet have the pace to chase anyone down. But with the right attitude and plenty more practice under his belt he might just get his chance some time in the not-too-distant future.

Oh he'll be up for it whether we give him the panto villain treatment or not so might as well get stuck in.

HEATHENS V BELLE VUE - TUESDAY PREVIEW MONDAY AUGUST 15, 2011DUDLEY Heathens are preparing for their biggest meeting of the season against Belle Vue at Monmore Green on Tuesday (7.30). The former Cradley club suffered two heavy defeats on the road at the weekend and have put themselves under pressure to make the play-offs. And they will hand a debut to Jamie Courtney, who was signed at the weekend as cover for the injured Adam Roynon. Heathens boss Will Pottinger said: "It was a bad weekend but we have to put it behind us, there's nothing we can do about it now. "We are desperate to put it right and we have to win this meeting against a very good Belle Vue team. It's a big meeting for both teams and we need our supporters to get right behind us. "I'm sure Jamie will get a good welcome and so will Danny Stoneman at reserve after we brought him back to the club last week." HEATHENS: Jon Armstrong, Darryl Ritchings, Tom Perry, Ashley Morris, Jamie Courtney, Richard Franklin, Danny Stoneman. Tough night ahead. I would take any kind of win and a night of exciting racing. Oh and a crap night for Garrity.

Those crashes are horrific. Holder did do a naughty left turn on the home straight having looked for Jedrejak but was blameless for the crash on the back straight. Some good news (relatively) on Swidders' website. He has a broken leg and rib but appears to have otherwise got away quite lightly. We have received the positive messages about the health of Peter Swiderski . The study did not show more complications in addition to previously confirmed fractures. Peter is heavily battered, but psychologically it feels very good. Swider greets all who support him:"I would like to sincerely thank all the fans for their support and words of encouragement in these difficult times". According to the latest information as a result of today's accident in the course of the eleventh meeting Betard Sparta Wroclaw - Torun Unibax Piotr Swiderski suffered a fractured left leg and probably has a broken rib. However, studies are underway, but about the player's health will keep you up to date. http://www.piotrswiderski.com.pl/

Welcome on board Jamie - it's going to be an experience!!!

Hang on a minute. Nobody is talking about last season or the first part of this season. With the exception of the excellent Fours win we're talking about recent form (circa the last 6 weeks). Even if you want to talk about the whole of this season most of the league wouldn't swap places with us. We're 6th or 10 and BV are only a point behind with 3 meetings in hand, in fact Newport could yet catch us. That's the measure of the recent collapse and the reason it's worthy of comment. We've won less than half of our league meetings this season, though I acknowledge we have some home meetings coming up. The entertainment cannot be faulted, nobody has claimed otherwise. I don't think anybody has taken "personally" but "drastically"? Perhaps, given that it's been a drastic dip in form. Again you are putting words in peoples mouth with "sweeping changes". I don't think I read a single post calling for a rider's head. The only such posts have been the ones, quite rightly, suggesting that Portwood was simply out of his depth. Nobody had a go at him, just suggested it was doing him no good any more than the club. I will certainly stick by the lads and be there tomorrow to cheer them on, and I quite sure others that are less than impressed with current form will be there too. Scunfield and Stoke were always going to be tough, yes, but it was the manner of the defeats that has annoyed and upset. We didn't even put up a fight, and on the back of a couple of other recent defeats it's a concern because there are still some very tough looking fixtures to come. ATB mate, we just disagree on a few points here that's all.

Updates team are searching for a texter. Any offers?

Yeah, we might get 30!!

You're getting overly defensive in my opinion mate. I may not agree with everything that's been said regarding problems within the club but I defend the right to say it in the way it's been said, politely and without resorting to slagging off individuals without any facts. Something has gone wrong lately and there's no point papering over it. Our recent performances in league and cup have been appalling and embarrassing to say the least. The paying public have every right to voice concerns and state opinion as long as, as I have already said, it's not just taking a swipe at individuals unfairly. You can't just discount the BV meeting. The track was there to be ridden, however poor it might have been. We were beaten out of sight and the result is in the record books. The fact is that it must be one of the biggest defeats any Heathens team has suffered. We were embarrassed by Stoke up there in Staffordshire, almost beaten by them at home too. Last night's performance is simply not on and we were beaten with ease at home last time out. It's not defeatist but realistic to say we're up against it to even stay in the fight for a play off place, and from a strong position 6 weeks ago that's disappointing. I'm a speedway supporter and proud to call myself a Heathens fan. I will continue to back the riders come race night but I will not shy away from criticising if/when I deem it is warranted. I will be there at Monmore Wood and I suspect the crowd will be just as big as we've seen before for our league meetings. Nobody has said they're turning their back because of a handful of recent performances. That doesn't mean I/they will "move on" without questioning current form though. A couple of riders have shown a significant dip in form since mid-season, one has mostly been below form all season and one just needs to make sure he's more consistently near his best. Of the current line-up I would add there are a couple that have done all that could be expected too. If I were to talk to these riders I reckon each and everyone of them would agree with my assessment and if Heathens fans are honest with themselves they will probably work out which riders I've put in which category because we've all seen it with our own eyes. In fact if I were to log in to Facebook today the riders' biggest criticism would be coming from themselves - of that I'm sure. To end I will reiterate that criticising recent performances doesn't mean people are stirring, looking for problems that aren't there or turning their back on the riders/club.

Even with Kyle it wouldn't be straight forward. A few are out of form, though I would say Tom and Rich have been riding better than tonight of late.

If we hadnt resigned Danny Scunfield could have got 70, or damn near to it. Beyond embarrassing and I await the club's meeting report with interest.

Danny Stoneman 10+1 http://speedwayupdat...ead=8600&page=1 Nothing else worth noting from a Heathens point of view. Congrats Scunfield.

+1 I've already voiced my concerns over our team so I'm not going there again, although I certainly could looking at Updates tonight. I'll simply say that by any measure we have a very tough run of fixtures coming up and I just can't see where enough points will come from to trouble the top four. I think we'll end up 6th. C'est la vie.

Absolutely. The like of Morris, Perry, Newman (though sadly not with us now) and Roynon are all getting extra track time one way or another. Extra track time for Ritchings, Franklin, Stoneman and Portwood can only be a benefit.

I suggested a while ago that second half four-man teams consisting of the NL team's lowest averaging second-string, reserve pairing and the number 8 (or A.N. Other) would give valuable extra laps to lesser riders in the league. This would be especially helpful to reserves that might only get the mandatory three heats and the number 8's who might never, or very rarely, get a ride (such as Ritchings last season). It certainly isn't going to cost the clubs a great deal. It would give extra racing experience, rather than just laps of practice after meetings, but at a level that they can be more competitive at. It would be fantastic if the Heathens could lead the way with this. With our large crowds the club certainly can't claim they're on the bread line compared to other NL clubs. We should schedule a proper second half after the BV meeting featuring Ritchings as the number one along with Franklin, Stoneman and Portwood. We should invite/encourage/force() BV to track Mason, Richardson, Widman and No. 8 (?) as opposition. Surely it can only be a benefit to the riders, clubs and fans but any thoughts welcomed?

I'm glad Morris is fit to take his place. I sure he'd have been pretty heart-broken if his crash on Tuesday night had ruled him out. Ommer um Heathens GB

As reported on the BSPA website today. This is great news in my opinion. With the greatest respect to Adam Portwood he simply isn't good enough to compete at NL level yet. He rides the bike okay, but simply isn't fast enough to get anywhere near scoring a genuine point. He's a couple of bike lengths down from the second the tapes rise. Danny was getting better with pretty much every lap and although not a 'wonderkid' he's competitive and will score us a few points. He's the kind of rider that deserves a genuine chance as a NL reserve as he's in the mix and showing signs of improvement. I hope Adam can keep coming along to our meetings and will listen, watch, learn and then put it into practice after meetings whenever and where ever he can. Maybe some time in the not-too-distant future there could be a chance for him to link up with the Heathens again. Best wishes to both Danny and Adam.

Clearly I was subconsciously reminiscing happier times. There's a big difference between 'take him out' and people wanting someone knocked off and hurt. There's nothing wrong with wanting a rider 'taken out'. Heeps did it to Perry twice in their race. It's just that Perry kept coming regardless. I've still not decided whether he's very brave or just stupid!! As stated Blackbird was booed for deliberately getting a race stopped and re-run. We, typically, lost out in the re-run so he got booed for the rest of the night too, especially as he soon popped up when he fell and saw his team mate leading later in the meeting. For about the millionth time on this forum fans cheer the good fortune of gaining an advantage when an opposition rider falls, not because they're secretly rubbing their hands with glee that a rider might get hurt. He was just trapped under the fence after a pretty 'simple' fall - he hadn't had a serious high speed crash. Believe me you could have heard a pin drop if that had happened (as in The Golden Hammer last week when Worrall went down at the end of the home straight for example). Heathens fans know all about seeing riders pick up serious injuries. You didn't bother to mention the applause when Blackbird got up or the applause when your riders won races or the applause at the end for your victory. All of that said, every club is just as likely as any other to have someone present on any given night who might say/shout something stupid. I accept and acknowledge that but your post came across a little more generalised than that. Congrats again on the win, it was very well deserved on the night.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- That's me drawing a line under this meeting. Tom and Rich were very good value for their points but frankly the rest were woeful. No excuses from me, though of course we could point to several things, after this mauling. Mildenhall were the better team, even if you change Heeps' score for something a bit more 'reasonable' , and deserved to take the win. The visitors seemed a good natured bunch so I'm sure they had an enjoyable trip home. I can't remember who mentioned it but for me there was nothing wrong with heats 9 and 11 when Morris and Roynon crashed. Both were tight turns with a rider left with very little room to make the corner properly. It was just unfortunate from a Heathens point of view that our boys were the ones to go down both times. I could make a case for all-four-back in both heats from the view I had (video evidence could prove me wrong I s'pose). Heeps could clearly make a fist of it at PL level already but although he was superb last night and deserved his points haul he did face us on one of those nights. My old man could go faster than Armo on his mobility scooter at the moment, Morris crashed out and Royno had a 'mare. On another night he would probably have been beaten a few times. I don't want to be seen to be taking anything away from the lad though. He was quick and aggressive but controlled. I see from the Updates thread that Louis set his bike up for him last night so that factor should not be overlooked. He's been around a while and knew the lines at Monmore so I'm sure his help and advice went a long to contributing to his overall performance. Back to the Heathens - We've got a hell of a month coming up and we'll need to improve as a team unit immeasurably if we're not to rapidly slide out of the play off picture. Our next two meetings are Scunfield and Stoke away which will be extremely difficult meetings. We follow those two with Belle Vue, Stoke and Buxton at home before the end of August. We then finish with a trip to IOW and Newport at home on the 6th Sept. There are too many 'easy' points amongst that lot. C'mon lads give it some ommer. I see from the Heathens website that Ash was released from hospital and although feeling a bit second hand he's not feeling too bad. He is fit enough to make the trip to Sweden, which is amazing.

I've read with interest the opinion here but it seems to be turning towards sniping which is a shame. Anywho, the decision has been made so I'll get behind the boys tonight and hopefully carry them to all three points.

Good post. I hope everyone acknowledges it. Yeah, all good shouts too. Hazelden was superb at Monmore a few weeks back.

Keep a few 50p's on ya mate. They might need it for the electric meter. I shouldn't joke actually. We went through a spell at Dudley Wood where it seemed there was only enough juice for either the lights on the terrace or the start gate, but not both! Thanks for the congrats. Cheers. That's a nice post to read. The league has turned out very competitive at the top end this season, and not all because of the riders I expected to see up there. Obviously Royno and Lambert ha been winning races, but the like of Howarth, the Worrall boys, Garrity have made huge strides. Morris, Pickard and Webster have had some fantastic results and even our Armo has largely done better than I expected (though as a general comment has dipped in form a bit of late). Newman also came in and did a good job. The flip side though is that I think Kurtz and Herne overall are a touch down, though expectations were very high. I expected more from Cooper, Bekker, Taylor and Perry. If these boys start to win races and bang in some double figure scores as well it's going to be a very competitive end to the season. Cheers. ---------------------------------------- Congrats to the boys. It sounds as though this was a little like our 4's win back in '95(?) in which we were there or thereabouts but looked as though we might come up a bit short only to steal it at the death. I don't know what it is about our team but more often than not they find something a bit extra towards the end of meetings. So that's the first 'real' piece of silverware for the trophy cabinet. Next...