Soundbites: 12th June 2004

Ray Morton

"Ray has had a lot of niggly mechanical problems up to now this year, but it all came good for him tonight and he showed all of his detractors that he is far from a spent force. After our disappointing northern tour last weekend it was important for us to get back to winning ways and we did that in style tonight."
Islanders boss Martin Newnham on Ray Morton after the Islanders victory over Rye House on Tuesday

"I've been made really welcome since I came here and I'm starting to get to grips with the track. I was always fairly confident about my ability to score points at this level and it's good to be playing a part in the team's success. But a lot of that is down to feeling good about being here."
Stoke's Trent Leverington

"Lee is a good asset for us to have, and he will be capable of doing a very fine job for us. He likes the big tracks, and I think he will settle down very quickly having Shielfield as a home track. His inclusion in the team gives us a good degree of mid-level strength, and he will have a valuable contribution to our League aspirations."
Berwick boss Peter Waite on new signing Lee Smethills

"Sheffield is always a hard place to take points, but I feel we put up a decent show. However, to have a chance of success at Owlerton you need every rider to be firing on all cylinders and that wasn't the case."
Glasgow promoter Stewart Dickson

"Refereeing decisions have gone against us once more. It just keeps happening and I can't say what I really think about the officiating because I'll get landed with a big fine."
Peterborough boss Trevor Swales on the televised Hammers v Panthers clash

"Scott's average has fallen to 3.60, so we now have a very experienced reserve in the side. We will see what sort of fist he makes of things at reserve before deciding whether to make another team change, but I am very hopeful Smith will turn up trumps."
George English of Newcastle on Scott Smith

"At the moment it is a real struggle but if we can get a win it will do so much to lift the spirits, not to mention the supporters. There is room for changes to be made within the team and the sooner they are made the better for everyone. I feel I am riding well but slowly it is affecting everyone in the team."
Newport's Craig Watson

"At the Wessex Stadium last Friday night fans saw the good side of tacticals rides with the Wildcats taking one to get back into the meeting against Swindon and then they did the same later on. That made for some great racing and probably our best meeting of the season. What Poole did was within in the rules but they were basically taking the Mickey. If my riders did that then I'd expect the referee to hit them hard where it hurts - in their pockets."
Weymouth boss Brian White on the 'tactical engine failures' controversy

"I wouldn't have been in that last race fighting for the win if the rest of the team hadn't been good, so it was a team effort and they all did well. Stuart Robson was brilliant until his accident, but there was nothing he could do about it and with him I think we could have won a bit more easily. All the luck is going against us. Tomasz Piszcz hit the front a few times and crashed as well so some 5-1s turned into 3-3s, but we did it in the end."
Andreas Jonsson on the Bees' surprise win over Poole on Thursday

"It was a big disappointment and you only have to analyse the score chart to see where it went wrong. Greg Hancock was the only GP rider on the night who looked fully on top of his game, although Chris Louis and, at times, Jesper B Jensen were not far behind."
John Louis has a pop at the under-performing Andersen and Nicholls after the Witches lost at home to Oxford

"When you are born and bred in Sheffield and you have supported them as a kid you are always going to have strong feelings for the place. I won two league championships with them and that was fantastic for me and if they ever want to book me in as a guest they know I will always give it my best."
Sheffield guest Simon Stead

"If we have riders coming down they should work to our rules and not us have Elite league rules forced on us."
Eric Boocock on the controversy over 'three point men' Eric Carrillo and Tobias Johansson

"We were just awesome. Somerset could not live with us and I don't think any other team in the league could have done."
King's Lynn promoter Keith Chapman

"In my opinion the Airtek fence makes the Foxhall track more dangerous rather than less. There have been more incidents this season than in the 15 years I have attended speedway meetings at the stadium."
Ipswich doctor Simon Marsh

"From the day he walked into the pits at Wimborne Road last year and scored a 21-point paid maximum on his debut against Exeter we all stood open-mouthed and knew that this kid was a bit special. What is impressive about him is his natural ability, whether it's skiing, skateboarding or riding a bike he has that exceptional balance that seems to set him aside from the others."
Neil Middleditch on Antonio Lindback

"I am very excited, but I shall get my head down and look to next week. There's not too much to be excited about really. But I did well on Saturday too and that's good. I don't want to say too much because if I do something will go wrong."
Emiliano Sanchez after knocking up his first maximum for Hull

This article was first published on 12th June 2004