PREVIEW: Cheetahs in positive spirits ahead of Edinburgh road trip on Friday

The Monarch Oxford Cheetahs travel north of the border on Friday night when going wheel-to-wheel with Scottish rivals Edinburgh Monarchs in the Cab Direct Championship (7.30pm).

Cheetahs make the 730-mile round trip at full strength with former Edinburgh skipper Sam Masters leading the visitors’ charge 16 weeks after Peter Schroeck’s men last visited Armadale.

That occasion saw Cheetahs secure a 45-45 draw away from home which booked the club’s spot in the Knockout Cup Semi Final after beating Edinburgh 99-81 on aggregate across two legs.

Schroeck has called for a repeat performance on Friday and has every faith in his team’s ability to return south with points in the bag.

“This won’t be an easy fixture,” said Schroeck. “Edinburgh is a specialist track which can take some adjusting to so getting dialled into the surface and configuration early will be key.

“At the same time, we’ve earned a draw against the Monarchs on the road already this season and I see no reason why we shouldn’t aim to do the same this time around or go one point better and win.

“Edinburgh have had their fair share of hard luck this season with the weather and other factors putting their season back a bit. That will only make them more determined to do a job against us at a time where points will strengthen their position inside the play-off frame.

“The boys are fired up for this one and we’re looking forward to the challenge as ever.”

The Monarch Cheetahs’ Cab Direct Championship fixture away to Edinburgh Monarchs is scheduled to begin at 7.30pm. Updates will be available via @OxfordSpeedway across social media.

Monarch Cheetahs: Sam Masters, Henry Atkins, Lewis Kerr, Jordan Jenkins, Scott Nicholls, Cameron Heeps, Luke Killeen.

Edinburgh Monarchs: Craig Cook, Drew Kemp, Kye Thomson, Bastian Borke, Josh Pickering, Dayle Wood, Max Clegg.