Stars boss Brady happy to go under the radar

Stars manager Alex Brady will ignore the odds and is happy to go under the radar – as he feels the club have hit on the right mix for success this year.

The side assembled by Brady and co-promoter Dale Allitt were initially ranked as clear outsiders for this year’s Premiership title.

But punters clearly took that value on board and the odds have been lowered to rank them as firmly involved in what appears a hugely competitive play-off battle.

It may well have been that the initial predictions were being based upon the top names coming back into the league with other clubs, including the likes of Emil Saydutdinov at Ipswich and Dan Bewley at Belle Vue.

But the Stars appear, on paper at least, to be the team with the best strength-in-depth and with the potential for their senior reserve to do major damage.

And that turned out to be the winning formula for Peterborough in 2021 when they topped the table and went all the way in the Grand Final.

Brady said: “I’ve seen the bookies’ odds and I’ve got to be honest, it made me laugh out loud.

“I think this year you’ll see a different King’s Lynn, one that’s just going to go about their business quietly and we’ll surprise a few people along the way.

“I’ve learned a huge amount in the last 18 months or so, and as a group we know what we’re all capable of, and the riders have their own individual standards which they will hold themselves accountable for.

“The target as with every season is play-offs and see where we go.

“I think the strength-in-depth approach allows us more options, and it doesn’t continually put pressure on one or two riders each week.

“It means meetings should be tight, but I think we have enough to come out on top more often than not.”

The early Premiership action has seen Sheffield make a stunning start with home and away wins over reigning champions Belle Vue – whilst Saydfutdinov starred on his return to British Speedway with a 14-point haul in Ipswich’s victory at Peterborough on Monday.

The Stars themselves have a rider back in the UK, with former Grand Prix winner Krzystzof Kasprzak having been absent since a spell with Rye House in 2017-18.

The Pole is keen to resurrect his British career, which included league titles with Poole and Coventry, and it was a signing which generated plenty of interest when it was announced in December.

Brady admits bringing Kasprzak in does constitute something of a gamble, albeit this is a rider who at his peak has gone unbeaten in matches at Lynn.

He said: “Krzysztof is an enigma, there’s no two ways about it, but he’s a rider who I think will prove a lot of doubters wrong.

“We were one of many clubs trying to sign him, so that should tell you a lot about how well regarded he is by people in the speedway world.

“I’m really confident that he’s going to do the right job for us.”

Last season, the Stars enjoyed greater success in competitions other than the league, as they reached the Cup Final and finished third in the Premiership Pairs.

The latter event has been streamlined to three rounds this year rather than racing a meeting on every track, but one of those does take place at the Adrian Flux Arena in June.

Brady said: “I think the Pairs is a good competition, although it probably dragged on a bit too long last season by having a round everywhere.

“We were trying to cram meetings in and ended up missing one out anyway, so we didn’t get the Sheffield round in.

“But I think having it over three rounds is a good balance, which I think will give us a worthy champion and also mean we’re able to maintain interest and have a fast and furious competition, which is what we want.”

---

---