Fourentee

Certainly very close. When I left the restaurant just one fan remained, and he was sitting through the video rerun specifically to see that moment again.

Nicki was cheered to the echo by a couple of Wolves fans at Monmore in a pre-match introduction a few years back. They said afterwards they were hoping to mess with his mind! Didn't work, but you had to admire the psychology.

PK, while of course amazingly deadpan (like his brothers, especially Mikael), could actually be quite demonstrative at times, I can recall him having a great night for Wolves at Poole when (from memory) he dropped his only points in an unsuccessful last heat decider. I congratulated him on a fine night as he returned to the pits and he chucked his crash helmet onto a bench and growled "We win if I do my job." Bit harsh! After a bad crash he had a custom-built titanium knee brace made and there was some concern among fans about whether it would reduce his effectiveness and competitive nature. First match back was at Eastbourne with (again from memory) PK on gate one in his first race next to the Eagles' top guy, one N Pedersen. Lights on, tapes up, clutch dropped, right elbow inserted into third rib, Pedersen veers off stage right and Karlsson away... Some years ago the local paper had a Local Heroes awards night, glitzy presentation evening. PK was named a Local Hero; I thought this was a fairly inconsequential thing but Karlsson was, genuinely, absolutely made up to get that local recognition when his home was in Scandinavia. He had a little shelf in his corner of the pits and cleared it just to plonk this award on in pride of place. Also recall him testing an engine one night and reporting back to Graham Jones: "It's OK out of the start, but it's a bit Nyeeeeeaaaaooowwww (makes banking aeroplane gesture) into the first turn". And Jonah knew what he meant! Finally, that wonderful Black Country/Swedish accent. When he rode in the 2009 play-off final at Swindon, celebrating Wolves fans came into the pits afterwards. PK posed in front of them for a pic and one over-jubilant supporter threw an arm round him from behind and grabbed the collarbone. He reeled away and I picked up some new words with interesting pronunciation.

Must confess that I only read today about the promotion/relegation matches that apparently took place in the subsequent two years. They whizzed past me likewise!

Was that the last time that the higher league team took the drop? There was a promotion/relegation play-off in 2008 when Wolves retained their status by beating Edinburgh.

I suspect the answer to the final question you posed would still be no...

Gave of his best, struggled for pace on the night and tried three bikes. Not his evening; down Wolves way (not that I speak for anyone else) I reckon we accept that, congratulate Swindon and their excellent supporters and move on.

Well now, that was a tense evening! Congratulations to Swindon, who have had a remarkable season and crown it with the title. A great bunch of fans and I hope they enjoy their celebrations. Wolves gave it their all and would obviously have hoped for a different outcome had Lindgren and Thorssell been fit. But injuries are, sadly, part and parcel of the game and you can only play the hand you're dealt. If this, if that never won anything! I really felt for Harris, who rode well at Swindon but just couldn't find any speed at Monmore. IMHO out of order to criticise someone who always gives of his best when guesting. Once more, congratulations to Swindon and their supporters.

I'm taking that to indicate Harris is a good choice of guest rather than a Monmore improvement on Lindgren!

And, as mentioned earlier, what a pleasure it was to chew the cud so amiably with a number of Robins fans at the track last night.

Would that it were so! But the rule clearly says that choice of gates/nominating riders second alternates. The three pairs thing just underlines (IMHO) that a rider can't be picked more than once in the cluster of three races. Nah, Swindon 5-1s in the last three heats!

Sold!

Good point. It was noted among the Wolves fans that Schlein came out to run an eye over the track after grading and, presumably, pass on his assessment to the team.

Thought the track was pretty good, actually. Not many heats were strung out; there were some excellent passes and several attempts which didn't quite stick. Still scratching my head as to what went on out there; long-term Wolves fans on the back straight were, after sober consideration, ranking it as the best performance from their club they had ever seen. As ever it was the little things that impressed, adding up to a greater whole -- Howarth's ultra-brave pass, stand-in skipper Schlein's enthusiastic congratulations for Greaves (nicely timed to take place in front of the Wolves supporters) after the latter's valuable third place and even the evident dismay of Harris after conceding the heat 13 5-1. Never was there a more committed guest rider, I'm taking his valuable points as karma for all the grudging clapping and gritted teeth congratulations I've emanated in the past as he laid waste to Wolves hopes as a Bee! It's certainly not over (I may have been one of the cautious fans Beefy Keefy was referring to); Swindon remain a more than capable outfit, will be fired up for the return and Wolves will, of course, be without their main two Monmore weapons in Lindgren and Thorssell. But what a night! By no means the least of the pleasures was chatting with a number of Robins fans afterwards; all were warm in their congratulations, despite their evident disappointment, and IMHO their conduct did the club great honour. Roll on Wednesday. http://www.wolverhamptonwolves.co/news.php?extend.2839

"Little do ye know your own blessedness; for to travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive, and the true success is to labour." Robert Louis Stevenson. I fear we may be doing a lot of labouring, mind!

Thanks for those, appreciated.

Not having been to Blunsdon for a few years, any recommendations on somewhere close by for a bite to eat please? Thanks in advance.

Good grief. Over the course of the season they finished top and were deserved winners of their semi, albeit not without a slight wobble. It's high-speed motorcycle sport and the risk of injury will always be there. You play the hand you're dealt. Swindon have earned their place in the final and if they defeat Wolves in the shootout then good luck to them. This post has really taken the edge off my day. Then again, it's not all bad news...

Good point well made. Shame if that is the case, but it only takes one numpty. I suspect all tracks have them.

Well done to Wolves, and commiserations to the Aces. Over the course of 30 races there will always be "what if" moments, but that is the nature of sport. The Knockout Cup may yet bring some consolation to Belle Vue.

Couldn't agree more, on both counts.

I was rather hoping no trout would take that fly!

I did say Glasgow fans might see it differently. I take your point, but "pick and choose" almost makes the decision appear to be a whim instead of a rider making a tough decision on returning from injury.

Sounds like a sensible precaution (Glasgow fans might see it differently). Fingers crossed he's OK for tomorrow. The schedules some of the riders have now are extraordinary, presumably in part the spread of doubling up. Mind, I can recall talking to one young rider over a decade ago who had scored heavily in the night's meeting and told me it was his 14th consecutive day of action.

Ah, you beat me to it! It was a delicately balanced tie before Thorssell's injury, which I feel just swings it the Aces' way now. But that, to me, was purely a racing incident. Thorssell had clearly got the drop on Tungate and I suppose if someone has to go it's the latter -- the leader sets his line -- but I wouldn't have argued with all four back. There's been a lot of to and fro on the forum about cheering when an opposing rider falls. I don't do it personally, finding it a bit distasteful (aren't I the po-faced one?!) but I am able to tell the difference between the panto huzzah which greets a gentle but undignified slide out and the stricken silence which falls immediately when someone has a big 'off'. I suspect most fans are.