Lewis Bridger admits he hates riding at Rye House.

But the tiny Premier and Conference League track in Hertfordshire could be the next step on the path to a world final if the Eastbourne Eagles youngster finds form tomorrow.

Bridger has a relatively short trip to the quarter-finals of the World Under-21 Championships, having reached this stage courtesy of his fifth place in the British final at Arlington a fortnight ago.

He opted to go in the Rye House meeting as the lesser of two evils. The alternative was a trip to Gorican in Croatia.

But he faces a tough battle to reach the semi-final stage.

Bridger, who has ridden at 262-metre Rye House in individual events and in his Conference days with Weymouth, admitted: "I hate the place.

"I don't go well there. There's never any dirt there. But I'll go into it same as every other meeting and do my best. I've got more chance than the Poles around there.

"But it doesn't matter who I'm up against. You can go into an easy meeting and do badly and you can go into a tough meeting and do well. You never know.

"It's a big event for me. They're all important. But then I've still got four years to win it."

Eagles asset Edward Kennett went straight through to the world semis in Denmark after winning the British final.

Bridger's disqualifiaction from the semi-final of that one ranks among a series of recent frustrations.

He was lucky to get away without further punishment after taking a swipe at Ryan Fisher following a clash in last Saturday's defeat of Belle Vue.

Excluded But he reckons he was badly wronged when he was excluded after a terrific joust with Polish star Janusz Kolodziej in Monday's defeat at Reading.

And then there was the moment he ran into the back of Kennett against Belle Vue, leaving him stranded at the back as his team mate for the night roared away for a terrific third-to-first heat win.

Bridger admitted: "I definitely feel hard done by with some decisions.

"I've seen the Reading match on Sky and I was on the racing line and he wasn't, but I got excluded.

"With the one against Belle Vue, Ed rides a really funny line. I knew he would be slow, going on the curb.

"But I just touched his leg and I thought we were both going to come off."

Amid the controversy and spills have come glimpses of why Bridger is considered such a hot young property.

Not least arguably the most important pass of the Reading match, when he ducked back inside experienced Mark Lemon on the last lap to earn the 3-3 which set up Nicki Pedersen to clinch a precious bonus point in the next heat.

Bridger's improved average means he joins the main body of the Eagles team in time for the trip to Wolves on Monday.

Eagles were hoping to still have him at reserve when they go to a track where, as well as averaging 7.76 in three league and cup meetings last year, he also took the British Under-18 Championship with a five-win maximum.

Bridger, though, said: "I would rather go there in the main body of the team."

He faces cosmopolitan opposition tomorrow, as well as danger from 16-year-old Tai Woffinden on his home track.

Meanwhile Pedersen is ready for an intimidating atmosphere as he defends his lead in the Grand Prix series.

The world's top riders are in speedway-mad Wroclaw, Poland for tomorrow's European GP, the second of 11 rounds.

Pedersen, an impressive winner of the season-opener in Italy, said: "Iquite like the track and the stadium in Wroclaw. There's always averyspecial atmosphere, with a lot of fanspushing the Polish riders."

The Eagles captain has been drawn at No.3 which means he goes in heat one, when Polish rider Seb Ulamek will be on his outside.

New Eagles line-up: Pedersen 9.60, Bridger 5.29, Norris 6.67, Barker 5.33, Watt 6.08, Woodward 3.87, Andersson 4.00.