By John Walsh

Last updated 11:47, Friday, 22 August 2008

BERWICK Bandits boss Peter Waite hasn’t ruled-out his side breaking through into the Premier League’s top four for the play-offs.

But his hopes will surely be settled one way or the other this week-end when the Bandits ride three crunch matches.

They are at Edinburgh tonight before taking on Workington, home and away on Saturday and Bank Holiday Monday.

There’s always been something a bit special about Workington v Berwick encounters, right back to 1970 when it provided the Comets with their first-ever speedway meeting.

More recent matches have been enlivened by spats between Waite and Workington’s Ian Thomas, who are not on the other’s Christmas card list!

Waite, ever the optimist, has surprised a lot of people with how well his team has done this season – when most people were writing them off as the season’s no-hopers.

That role has been subsequently filled by Mildenhall while Berwick, early-season leaders and shock team of the year have been handy in the top eight throughout the campaign.

Waite says: “I know it may sound silly but as it stands we still have an outside chance of breaking into the top four and reaching the play-offs at the end of the season.

“I know the top four look nailed-on to qualify but we still have Workington to race home and away, Edinburgh away and Somerset at home so we can certainly have a big say in how it all ends up.

“We are due to go to Edinburgh tonight, and with home and away meetings against Workington over the Bank Holiday week-end it is probably the last chance saloon as far as we are concerned.

“Edinburgh and Workington are both going very well at the moment so these will be three very difficult meetings for us.

“But our boys are showing some good form as well. We will obviously be determined to hold onto our unbeaten home record when we ride against Workington at Shielfield on Saturday.

“I’ve also been encouraged by some of our away performances of late at Reading, Newcastle, Birmingham and Sheffield so I haven’t ruled-out pulling-off shocks at either Edinburgh or Workington, or preferably both.”

Workington’s match at Berwick tomorrow is their last away fixture and already they have won more (five) matchers on their travels than any other team in the League.

“It goes without saying we would dearly like to finish with a win at Berwick. There’s always something special about scoring a win at Shielfield,” said Thomas.