Stars look to finish the job at Oxford

King’s Lynn look to finish the job of KO Cup progression when they head to Oxford tonight for the second leg of their quarter-final tie.The PSH Environmental Stars are 16-points up after their Chris Harris-inspired victory at the Adrian Flux Arena, and there is additional incentive to reach the last four of the competition.That’s because their likely semi-final opponents would be local rivals Ipswich, who won 50-40 at Belle Vue on Monday and are clearly strong favourites to go through on their home circuit.Last season’s trips to Cowley resulted in mixed fortunes for the Stars, who went close in April when they only lost by four points, whilst they went down by 18 in August although that was at a time when they were in an extremely patched-up state.This year they travel with two former Spires riders taking their reserve positions – Harris, who was so sensational with a paid-18 maximum in the first leg – and youngster Ashton Boughen, who also made a most creditable Stars debut with five points from three rides.Manager Rob Lyon has elected to tweak his riding order for the second leg, with Richard Lawson moving into the No.2 position whilst Jan Kvech goes to No.5.The Spires also make a switch as Erik Riss will take the No.2 berth with Peter Kildemand at No.4 for his home debut, and it will be a first appearance at Sandy Lane for Francis Gusts who made a good impression on Monday and came as close as anyone to defeating the flying Harris. Lyon said: “With a 16-point lead I do feel it’s ours to lose. You never say never, but the boys should be capable of going down there and keeping it as tight as possible. “Maybe we could even sneak a win, and we’ve got to be going there with a positive attitude that we can get it done.“I was very pleased with Monday, and especially with Ashton. He looked good, he was competitive and his Heat 2 win gave him the confidence.“It was just unfortunate that he only had the three rides, but when you’ve got a rider like Bomber going like he was, you’ve got to utilise him, and I’m pleased with all the riders to be fair.” Stars supporters not making the trip to Oxford should note that the meeting will be live streamed, with passes available from https://livestream.oxfordspeedway.club/ .The Stars open the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership campaign this coming Monday when reigning champions Belle Vue are in town at the AFA for what promises to be a thriller. Oxford: Rohan Tungate, Erik Riss, Charles Wright, Peter Kildemand, Maciej Janowski, Francis Gusts, Luke Killeen.King’s Lynn: Ben Cook, Richard Lawson, Nicolai Klindt, Niels-Kristian Iversen, Jan Kvech, Chris Harris, Ashton Boughen.