Michael Palm Toft tips Edinburgh Monarchs to shine as play-offs edge closer
Danish rider Michael Palm Toft has warned the Edinburgh Monarchs' play-off rivals to write the Capital outfit off at their peril.
The Blue and Gold have all but secured their Championship semi-final berth despite rounding off the league campaign with a 53-37 defeat at table-toppers the Glasgow Tigers.
With three meetings still to complete, only the Workington Comets can overhaul the Monarchs into fourth spot. The Cumbrian outfit must secure maximum points from their home and away fixtures against the Berwick Bandits this weekend, and then win handsomely on the road at third-placed the Redcar Bears.
Should Monarchs retain fourth place, they will meet arch-rivals Glasgow in the last four. The first leg at Armadale is likely to take place on Friday, September 12.
Scandinavian Palm Toft only joined the Blue and Gold in May following Oskar Polis' decision to quit the club weeks beforehand.
He found himself on the sidelines when the season got underway in April, but quickly jumped at the opportunity when Monarchs came calling.
The 34-year-old top scored for the visitors at Ashfield last night with 11 despite blowing his engine just seven days earlier.
"Play-offs are a funny thing," Palm Toft explained. "Whoever comes in with confidence and so on can really change things up. I think we're coming in as the underdogs which is probably a good thing, it definitely can be. All I'd say is don't write us off. I am enjoying my speedway. It's taken a bit of time to feel right again as it's always hard coming in later in the season. We're working on it, trying to figure things out and improve.
"Everything that was working for me the last few years has been turned completely upside down. You think you're coming back with stuff that you know is going to work and it's working the complete opposite. I've had to play around with setups and so on. We've gone completely the opposite of what we normally do. The injury I had last year which kept me out at the start of the season has gone. I don't feel anything so it's pretty good."