BEN Reade will make his Elite League debut against his hometown club this evening, but the Belle Vue rider is disappointed not to be able to ride on home turf when the Aces travel to Swindon for the return meeting on Thursday.

The youngster was one of 20 National League riders drafted into the Elite League under new rules which aim to encourage young British riders to progress, and will take his place at reserve tonight against a Swindon team he has supported since he was three years old.

However, when the Aces are riding at Blunsdon later this week, Reade is saddened to miss the meeting due to Premier League commitments with Plymouth on what would have been his homecoming, and is also disappointed not to have the chance to ride against his fellow Swindon youngster, Darryl Ritchings, following the latter’s crash on Thursday night which has left him sedated in intensive care in Oxford.

“It should be a good meeting, I’m really looking forward to it, and I can’t wait to get out there and score a few point. It’s just a shame I miss the meeting at Swindon on Thursday because I will be riding for Plymouth which means I have to go all the way to Ipswich rather than just going two minutes down the road.

“I heard about Darryl’s crash and I just really hope he’s okay because he’s a really nice lad. It would have been great having two Swindon guys racing against each other and I just really hope he can recover and bounce back.”

Reade is part of a predominantly British side including Richie Worrall, Scott Nicholls and Craig Cook, with the former Ridgeway School pupil convinced riding with such experienced campaigners will really help him as he looks to take the next step in his career.

“It was good to get a few laps on the track at press and practice because I’ve only been there once and that was a few years ago,” he said.

“Being around people like Scott Nicholls, Craig Cook and Richie Worrall is really helpful for me and I’m sure I’m going to learn loads. Richie and Craig came out on the track with me and showed me a few things as well as which set-ups to run for Monday.”