Ipswich Witches will welcome back No.1 Jason Crump when they travel to Wolverhampton Wolves tonight (7.30pm).

The Australian former world champion has taken part in just one meeting since breaking eight ribs during a spill in the Witches’ last visit to Monmore Green at the end of May, but the veteran scored 9+2 on his return for Championship club Plymouth last week and is now ready to make his Ipswich comeback.

The Witches will again use rider replacement for Anders Rowe, with the youngster still out with a knee injury, as they look to improve on the 62-28 drubbing they suffered on their last visit to Wolves.

“We travel to Wolves on Monday, a place where we had a poor performance earlier this season,” team manager Ritchie Hawkins said.

“We have had a couple of team changes since there and it is a place I feel we can go well at even though they are very strong at home. We need to carry on our improved form but we certainly all need to be firing to take anything from it.

“It’s great to have Crumpy (Jason Crump) back and the extra couple of weeks has made the world of difference. He had a good showing at Plymouth on Tuesday night. It will be great to have him back in the team and he is a very important figure in the side and I’m sure he will be pleased to be back; we are delighted to have him.

“Hopefully Anders will be back soon. His treatment is going well and he is having intense physio on his knee injury which is going well, so hopefully he will be back at the end of the month and we can run with a full 1-7.

“As much as it is a tough place to go, that does not make a difference with the position we are in. We are still in a position where we are desperate for points and away wins so it is very much backs against the wall for the second half of the season. We need to go there fighting and performing to our capabilities.

“We need points on the road, but we also need to win at some places. It is a big ask at Wolves, but we are in a position where we need big performances and big shocks if we are to pull ourselves back round.”

It will be a tough ask for the Witches, given Wolves sit second in the Premiership table and boast a perfect home record so far this season.

The hosts will be without their ‘rising star’ rider Leon Flint due to injury, with Alfie Bowtell come in as a guest.

Wolverhampton Wolves: 1. Sam Masters 7.52 2. Luke Becker 6.11 3. Nick Morris 6.44 4. Ryan Douglas 5.36 5. Rory Schlein 6.80 © 6. Broc Nicol 4.00 7. Alfie Bowtell (g) (RS). Team Manager: Peter Adams

Ipswich Witches: 1. Jason Crump 8.00 2. R/R for Anders Rowe 5.49 3. Danny King 6.93 © 4. Jake Allen 5.57 5. Craig Cook 7.60 6. Drew Kemp (RS) 7. Paul Starke 4.67. Team Manager: Ritchie Hawkins