OXFORD Cheetahs head into their final home meeting of the Championship campaign tonight when they welcome play-off bound Scunthorpe Scorpions.
The clash is the first of two fixtures for Peter Schroeck’s side this week, ahead of Sunday’s looming cut-off date when the division’s six play-off spots and league leaders will be finalised.
Cheetahs are one of two teams who can still finish top of the table, which would allow the club the privilege of choosing their play-off opponents.
Assuming that current Championship leaders Poole Pirates win at Edinburgh Monarchs tomorrow, second-placed Cheetahs will need to defeat both Scunthorpe and Championship Pairs winners Glasgow Tigers north of the border on Friday night.
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Schroeck wants to round the regular season off in style, while retaining the Cheetahs’ perfect league record on home shale.
He said: “This is a big week for us. Finishing top of the league would be a massive achievement for everyone connected to the club just 17 months after our return.
“That’s our target, but we know there’s still work to do. Scunthorpe are the division’s dark horses in my opinion.
“They’ve gone about their business well and have picked up some useful results on the road which have perhaps gone under the radar.
“Cameron [Heeps] is back in the main body of the team with Henry [Atkins] back at reserve. That can be a real trump card for us as Henry has been a real gem for us, especially at home this year.
“We’ve got a perfect forecast on our side so the boys are fired up for this one and we hope to round off our regular season fixtures in style and retain our 100 per cent record on home shale in the league.”
The top six teams in the Championship will qualify for the end of season play-offs, split into two groups of three.
The side which finishes the top of the table will have the pick of the two teams they wish to face in the play-off group stage, with the two group winners then facing off in a two-legged grand final tie.
Poole currently top the Championship with 32 points from 15 meetings, while the Cheetahs in second have 30 points from 14 fixtures.
This evening’s visitors to Oxford Stadium are fifth in the league standings, with 20 points from 14 meetings.
Oxford Cheetahs: Sam Masters, Cameron Heeps, Lewis Kerr, Jordan Jenkins, Scott Nicholls, Henry Atkins, Ashton Boughen.
Scunthorpe Scorpions: Ryan Douglas, Connor Mountain, Simon Lambert, Michael Palm Toft, Jake Allen, Nathan Ablitt, Drew Kemp.
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