Sunday 17th June 2012, 13:22

Coventry owner Mick Horton has dropped long-serving Colin Pratt as team manager, with Blayne Scroggins taking sole charge of the side.

Pratt, who has been at Brandon since 1998, remains at the club as co-promoter and will work on the administration side of the business.

Horton has also confirmed he is keen to bring an ex-rider into the side to assist the Bees riders on “technical matters.”

Former Peterborough and Oxford boss Horton, who saw his side scrape a 48-42 win at home to King’s Lynn on Friday, said: “Having joint team managers is not working for me, and I want to try something different. Blayne will be solely in charge, and we will have a former rider on hand to assist on technical matters with the boys.

“Colin will continue as co-promoter and operate day-to-day matters at the club. His speedway expertise is something we value greatly and he still has a very important part to play here at Coventry.

“We had rather mixed feelings about Friday night. Yes, we won, but we can’t keep giving points away, and that was another one dropped. I know we were missing riders but so were King’s Lynn, so we can’t keep making excuses.”

Horton is concerned about attendances at Brandon after admitting the crowd for the Stars meeting, which clashed with England’s Euro 2012 game against Sweden, was a 10-year low for the club.

The Bees chief admits he will consider the team’s Elite League future if attendances do not pick up.

He said: “I want to emphasise to the fans of Coventry Speedway how much we need their support. The crowd on Friday was the lowest in 10 years, and although I know the weather and the football played a part, it was still very disappointing.

“I’m not sure what else we can do as a promotion. We put together a team of riders over the winter that everyone wanted, and yet the crowds are down on last year.

“I just want supporters to know that for the club to keep its position in the Elite League, they need to show their support by being here. The next home meetings will be a yard-stick to see where the club is going.

“If Coventry wants Elite League action, it needs to get back to the kind of support it enjoyed in the past. When you look at the crowd we had against Poole, and then compare it to King’s Lynn, it’s a big worry.”

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