Lakeside Hammers will use the rider replacement facility for tonight’s must-win Elite League match against Peterborough Panthers.

Hammers have been forced to into the move following after Jonas Davidsson broke his thumb representing Lakeside at the Elite League Pairs match at Ipswich on Saturday.

Davidsson has been ruled out for a month after the Hammers pair finished third in Suffolk, but his absence means his team-mates will have to fill the gap at Arena-Essex tonight.

Any of the Hammers’ riders will be able to take an additional ride, with the exception of Lee Richardson.

And the third-placed hosts need a victory against their fourth-placed visitors to ensure they qualify for the end of season play-offs.

The meeting starts at 7.30pm and will see Peterborough’s line-up include Danish GP rider Kenneth Bjerre, Danish international Neil Kristian Iver-sen, Australian internationals Troy Batchelor and Rory Schlein, Polish riders Krzyszt-of Buczkowski and Norbert Kosciuch plus Mathieu Tresarrieu from France.

Hammers were held to a 45-45 draw by Swindon Robins at Arena-Essex on Friday night.

Number one rider Lee Richardson secured three wins from his five rides to lead the scoring with 11 points.

Leigh Adams won a shared first heat for Swindon before Justin Sedgeman repeated the feat in a second shared heat.

But Jonas Davidsson put Lakeside 10-8 in front with a 4-2 in the third, before Maciej Janowski's win in the following heat saw the Robins get a 4-2 to level the scores at 12-12.

Davidsson won a 4-2 to put Hammers 16-14 up, only for a 4-2 from Swindon to ensure parity at 18=18 after six heats.

Adam Shields won a shared seventh heat before Peter Ljung won a 4-2 to edge the hosts back in front at 25-23.

A further shared heat was won by Adams but Richardson won a further shared head to take it to 31-29.

The clubs traded two more share heats with Adams winning the first and Kauko Nieminen the second for Lakeside to leave it at 37-25 in the Hammers’ favour after 12 heats.

Richardson opened a gap for Lakeside with a 4-2 in the 13th heat only for Morten Risager and Janowski to combine for the only 5-1 of the meeting and level the scores at 42-42.

With all to play for in the 15th and final heat, perhaps it was not surprise that it was shared, with Richardson winning and Janowski and Adams edging out Shields.