BELLE Vue are waiting desperately for captain Charlie Gjedde to surface from the depressing run of scores which have sent the Danish star’s average crashing.

Gjedde has dropped to reserve in the new averages which means a rider of his experience and ability should score heavily against weaker riders. He started the season with a 7.86 average and it has dropped to 5.13.

The One51 Aces hoped he would pile up the points against Coventry on Monday but he was hit by a £1,500 engine blow-out and a freak incident in which the steel shoe – which a rider needs for grip on the bends – was knocked off.

It meant he scored only three points as the Aces crashed 53-36.

Team boss Chris Morton said: "You can manage without a steel shoe at some tracks but Belle Vue certainly isn’t one of them. It was great that he even tried to get a point and that he finished the race.

"It was a really frustrating and disappointing night, especially after winning at Eastbourne last Saturday when Charlie scored 12. We need him to get the kind of scores we expect from him when he is riding at reserve."

Gjedde tested an engine after Monday’s meeting and the Aces were hoping he would get among the points at Poole this week when they switched to Knockout Cup action in the quarter-final first leg.

What was due to be the first leg at Kirkmanshulme Lane last week was rained off and a new date has not yet been arranged.

Team manager Chris Morton made two enforced changes because Morten Risager and Kevin Doolan were not available because of commitments they had made before signing for the Aces.

He is allowed to bring in a Premier League rider with an average up to six points for Risager and picked out Luke Bowen, of Rye House. Jordan Frampton, a former Poole youngster who has ridden for Coventry this season, replaced Doolan.

The Aces will have Risager and Doolan back next Monday for the visit of Lakeside in the Elite League (7.30pm).

Morton is also looking for Ulrich Ostergaard to make a quick return to form as his one-point contribution was one of the reasons for the defeat by Coventry.

The team to face Lakeside is: Kryz Kasprzak, James Wright, Patrick Hougaard, Ulrich Ostergaard, Morten Risager, Kevin Doolan, Charlie Gjedde.

Speedway author Jeff Scott will be at the stadium on July 6, when the Aces face Swindon, with his latest book Quantum of Shale (328 pages £20). It is published at the end of this month and he’ll be there to sign copies.

Jeff has become known for his off-the-wall look at speedway with such offerings as Showered in Shale and Shale Britannia. In the latest he has visited every track and relates tales about the characters he met and the things he saw. The Belle Vue chapter focuses on our bonanza 80th anniversary meeting.

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