King’s Lynn host Sheffield in Knockout Cup clash

King’s Lynn turn their attention to the Premiership KO Cup when they host Sheffield on Thursday in the first leg of their semi-final tie.The action gets underway at the Adrian Flux Arena in what was originally scheduled to be the second leg, before it emerged the Tigers were unable to stage Monday’s planned opener due to stadium availability.The target for the PSH Environmental Stars is, therefore, to build a lead to take to Owlerton later in the month, with the winners to face Ipswich or Birmingham in the Final.Those two sides race to a finish at Foxhall on Thursday with the Witches 46-44 up following an away win at Perry Barr on Monday.Stars’ clash with Sheffield is a repeat of the 2022 Final and the teams have continued to meet regularly since then, with the Tigers holding the upper hand, and their recent form has been solid.The visitors are set to return to full strength, with former Stars skipper Josh Pickering declared in the line-up after recovering from a shoulder injury, whilst the team is led by Grand Prix stars Jack Holder and Tai Woffinden.Stars are forced into two changes with Tobiasz Musielak not fit to return against his former club, so ex-Lynn No.1 Richard Lawson steps into the breach. And with the unlucky Michael Palm Toft sidelined by a broken collarbone, Stars will call on the spirit of late 2023 with former captain Simon Lambert making a guest appearance alongside Anders Rowe – the combination which piled up massive points last autumn.The switch in riding order which would have seen Palm Toft drop to reserve also results in Patryk Wojdylo moving up into the top five, where he will partner Lawson in the opening race. Stars operations manager Dale Allitt said: “We’d like to thank Richard and Simon for standing in, and we know how well they can both go here.“As we said during the winter, Simon was unfortunate not to get a place with us this season given what he contributed last year, and I’m sure the supporters will welcome him back. “We know Sheffield is a strong team with a good record here, but we need to focus on doing our jobs, and hopefully we can come away with a lead to take up there for the second leg.”King’s Lynn: Richard Lawson, Patryk Wojdylo, Niels-Kristian Iversen, Benjamin Basso, Nicolai Klindt, Simon Lambert, Anders Rowe.Sheffield: Jack Holder, Kyle Howarth, Chris Holder, Josh Pickering, Tai Woffinden, Jason Edwards, Dan Gilkes.