ROSS KEEN ON ARMADALE RETURN

NEWS Tuesday 1st November 2005, 10:00am

by Mike Hunter

  Edinburgh Monarchs

The only Edinburgh rider who managed to record a 9-point league average, Ross Brady, has suggested he is keen to return to Armadale.

"I felt my season has gone pretty well and I started to ride the way I should be, getting double figures a lot of the time.

"I really enjoyed the season - had a bit of banter with the fans! It's all good fun, if you take it the wrong way it could upset you but you just need to take it on the chin and get on with it.

"At the start of the year I was trying different engine setups and it took me a wee while to get started. Once I did I was on a bit of a roll.

"Winning in the league at Hull was a really good one, it's always good to go back to your old track and do well.

"Scoring 53 there was awesome, everyone was going well and I think at that time we all thought we could do something this year.

"Not long afterwards I broke my ankle in the Pairs at Ashfield. It was a racing accident, maybe the other guy could have left me a bit of room but it's just one of these things, nothing to moan about. It's part of the sport.

"I could have backed off maybe but it was a really important meeting and Rusty and I were up for it, if I had got round there we would have been on a roll.

"The break in the ankle was worse than everyone first thought, it was smashed up a bit, and I probably came back sooner than I should. It's easy to say after the event.

"I never got back to where I was, I was always in a bit of pain even though I had a few good meetings."

Gating is Ross's strongest point, but he isn't sure what makes him so quick from the traps.

"I've always been a pretty good gater but for some reason this season I've been trapping really well. I run a very heavy clutch which probably has some thing to do with it, but you need to be pretty sharp on the clutch to catch it."

Overall Ross feels that the team has done very well. "We were tipped to finish near the bottom so I think the boys have done great. We proved everyone wrong and if I hadn't been injured we would probably have done even better.

"It was very tough on Robert Ksiezak to pick up his injury when he was flying. He was so far from home and he never found the same form again.

"My leg seems not too bad now for everyday life, but I'm going on holiday and when I come back I'll get this dodgy plate out. Then I'll train down the beach and maybe go to Scunthorpe. I want to be sharp for the start of the season.

"For next season I'd love to be back at Edinburgh but no-one knows what will happen with the points limit. It's a long winter."