BIRMINGHAM have re-introduced two popular former team members ahead of Monday’s (May 5) crunch Bank Holiday Double with Oxford.
Paco Castagna and Danyon Hume have been declared in the Curtis Sport Brummies line-up whilst Antti Vuolas has been released and Matej Zagar’s visa fiasco continues.
CEO Nigel Tolley said: “We had some long conversations after Monday’s defeat to Leicester and as a management team we were all in agreement that Antti’s performances haven’t been good enough and we couldn’t let that continue sadly.
“I think he would agree that he hasn’t hit anywhere near the form we expected him to but I do think a big part of that is to do with the fact that his Championship campaign hasn’t got going as Workington’s season has started so late.
“It’s a real shame and we do wish Antti all the very best and hope he regains some confidence whilst racing for the Comets in the second division.
“Because of the ongoing situation with Matej and his visa, and because he is effectively ineligible to race at this moment in time, we couldn’t redeclare a team that then had him in it.
“So until that is resolved, we’ve had to make two changes and we welcome both Paco and Danyon back to Birmingham.
“There’s a lot to be said about the lack of rider availability right now - but that’s another story for another day.
“In Paco and Danyon we’ve got two riders who we know will come straight into the team and give it their all from the get go.
“Paco has been keen for a Premiership place for a while now and he’s desperate to grab it with both hands.
“And Danyon is a really nice fit for the No.6 position right now with the way things stand and he’s hungry to prove a point almost after being let go by Sheffield.
“They’re the sort of characters who will fit into our team straight away and hopefully they can both play their part was we look to pick up our first league points against Oxford on Monday.”
The Brummies travel to Cowley for a 1pm start with the return at Perry Barr getting underway at 7.30pm.
BIRMINGHAM LINE-UP V OXFORD Tobiasz Musielak, Paco Castagna, Jonas Jeppesen, Keynan Rew, Michael Jepsen Jensen, Danyon Hume, Jason Edwards.
