King’s Lynn’s management team have issued a message to supporters following a 58-32 KO Cup defeat at Sheffield on Thursday.
The MacInnes Stars endured another tough night on the road as the Tigers put themselves firmly in charge of the tie, with the second leg still to come at the Adrian Flux Arena on April 24.
Skipper Josh Pickering returned to form with 11 points from five rides, including two race victories, and there was also a brace of wins for Nicolai Klindt, who scored eight – and Rising Star reserve Jason Edwards battled all the way for three points.
Jack Holder (12+1), Tobiasz Musielak (11+3) and Kyle Howarth (10) were all in double figures for the Tigers as they ran up a 26-point advantage.
The Stars’ management are reviewing the events of this week – whilst allowing for a tricky start to the season at two difficult away venues – and will keep supporters in touch.
They said: “We are fully aware of the fans’ frustrations, and we can assure everyone that we share those frustrations.
“We are not happy with the situation, and we will be looking at every option open to us over the coming days.
“It was good to see a couple of wins from Nicolai at Sheffield, especially as he is still carrying an injury, and coming after a poor night at Wolves.
“Josh was back to form and Jason once again did more than expected on an away track, but we are fully aware of the shortfalls and there are no excuses there.
“We’ve been to Wolves which is difficult, and we’ve been to Sheffield who beat Belle Vue home and away and are probably, on paper, the best team at this stage.
“However, we know what we have to do, and we also need the fans more than ever next Thursday. There is work to do, and as a management team we are more than up for the fight for it.”
The Stars open their home campaign with a clash with Wolverhampton at the Adrian Flux Arena next Thursday (April 13).
Sheffield 58: Jack Holder 12+1, Tobiasz Musielak 11+3, Kyle Howarth 10, David Bellego 9+2, Lewis Kerr 7+1, Adam Ellis 5+1, Dan Gilkes 4.
King’s Lynn 32: Josh Pickering 11, Nicolai Klindt 8, Frederik Jakobsen 4, Michael Palm Toft 3+1, Thomas Jorgensen 3, Jason Edwards 3, Krzysztof Kasprzak 0.
