Comets can be league champions for the first time this weekend and team manager Tony Jackson hopes the people of Workington will turn out in droves to help them do it.

Jackson wants a bumper crowd to create a carnival atmosphere and make Derwent Park an intimidating place for Lakeside Hammers in the finals of the SGB Championship play-offs and the Championship Shield.

The west Cumbrians have fought against adversity all season to earn their shot at major silverware and are set to take on the Hammers at Rye House tomorrow in the league play-off final first leg before hosting the decider at Derwent Park on Sunday (both 7.30pm starts).

They tackle Lakeside at home again in the Championship Shield final second leg (7.30pm start) on Monday in a double-header which will finish with them facing the Hammers in an outstanding league meeting.

"This team deserves to win something for the way they’ve performed," Jackson said.

"They’ve won home and away, entertained all the way and different riders have stepped up under pressure to get us here.

"We’ve done all that and we still haven’t had a night where everybody’s clicked.

"If we get plenty of people here, the atmosphere will be brilliant and the riders can see what it means to the town.

"Bring your friends and, in fact, bring your enemies, bring anyone to Derwent Park.

"There’s something riding on every meeting now and this is the chance to see Workington win something; even if you’ve never been a speedway fan, you want to see something come to your hometown."

The presence of Maryport’s Richard Lawson in the Lakeside team means that either way there will be a west Cumbrian lifting the league title this year but Jackson is hopeful the ex-Comet will be going home disappointed.

Workington, who were due to take on Scunthorpe in the Knockout Cup final second leg last night with an 18-point deficit to turn around, have drafted in popular former rider Tero Aarnio to help them chase their first league title in the play-off final against Lakeside.

The Finn will guest for Ty Proctor at Rye House tomorrow.