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Aces' star faces a tough decision

30/ 5/2008

STEVE Boxall, Belle Vue’s rising star who has been out for two months due to a shoulder injury, will decide this week whether he will ride again this season.

The 21-year-old has been offered two options by a specialist in France and his decision will make or break his troubled season.

Boxall has been told he can have an operation now, and face a three-month recuperation period, or try to ride on after a period of intense physiotherapy to make his arm and shoulder as strong as possible.

The second option, if successful, would mean he would have the operation next winter with plenty of time to make a full recovery ahead of the 2009 season.

Boxall’s initial reaction after seeing the specialist was to go for the physio and get back on a bike as soon as possible, but he will have further discussions with the Belle Vue management before making a final decision.

Chris Morton, the One51 Aces team manager, said: "His arm and shoulder are stronger than they were when he returned for the British Under 21 final and scored 10 points.

"The surgeon has said he can ride if he has intensive physio, and leave the operation until the end of the season.

"He will need three months recuperation after the operation so it would put him out for most, if not the rest of the season, if he has it now.

"Steve’s first reaction was to have the physio and carry on, but we’ll be having further talks with him this week."

Boxall’s possible return in the near future could complete a return to full fitness for the team after an injury-plagued month of May.

Billy Forsberg, who broke a thumb, and Lukasz Jankowski, who has had a shoulder injury, were due to return for the home Elite League match against Wolverhampton at Kirkmanshulme Lane on Wednesday, but the match was postponed due to waterlogging.

Jonas Raun, Belle Vue’s recently-signed Dane, could be back for the home match against Lakeside next Monday (7 30pm).

Morton added: "Raun took a real bang on his head in Denmark and had to pull out of our match at Ipswich.

"You can’t mess about with anything to do with the head, and we told him to go home to Denmark and rest up until he was 100 per cent ready to resume.

"Hopefully, with Forsberg and Jankowski back, the tide might be turning for us so we can get into the position where everyone is scoring points."

Aces are also hoping that Joe Screen is ready to put his mechanical problems behind him with a new engine. He blew two motors in the narrow 48-45 defeat at Wolverhampton on Monday.

BELLE VUE (v Lakeside): J Crump, B Forsberg, C Gjedde, L Jankowski, J Screen, N Simmons, J Raun.