b. 27th November 1972 (age 35)

Chesterfield, England

JOE Screen, one of Belle Vue's favourite sons, will lead the Aces for the second successive season after replacing Jason Crump at the start of last year when the Australian left for Poole.

Screen admitted he was surprised to be asked to keep the job this season in view of Crump's return but there's no doubt he's got what it takes.

The problems of last season cannot be laid at his door and, like Crump, Screen is well known for his ability and interest to help young and inexperienced riders. His outspoken, no-nonsense approach will be vital at the track where his career began 19 years ago.

At 35, Chesterfield-born Joe Screen remains one of speedway's great entertainers. He has won league medals with three clubs and secured several individual gongs since emerging onto the speedway circuit in Manchester in 1989, at the tender age of 16.
During his first stay with Belle Vue, he won the 1992 Fours Championship and was a member of the last ever Aces side that won League silverware with the 1993 First Division title.
Some say his departure after clinching his first team accolade was down to an acrimonious relationship with the promotion team. Nevertheless, he left the Manchester club to join arch-enemies Bradford for a reported £32,500 record fee. Maybe he had caught the eye of the promotion team at Odsal when he lifted the Division One Riders' Championship trophy in 1992 at that very track.
The 1993 World Under-21 Champion went on to enjoy his best days at Odsal, posting a near 11 point average in 1995, the year his team outpaced Belle Vue in the KO Cup Final, although Joe's interest was ended in the first leg at Odsal by injury.
Bradford won the Elite League in 1997, before stadium redevelopment work lead to their demise. His signature was once again up for grabs but it was Belle Vue who recaptured it for a loan spell in 1998.

Hull was his next port of call the following year, before his career regained stability when Eastbourne signed him in 2000, the year he helped the Sussex club to the league title. In April of 2001, Screen suffered a broken thigh in a crash at King's Lynn with team mate Joonas Kylmakorpi, knocking his career backwards and bringing an end to his Grand Prix ambitions.

The first year of the play-offs in 2002 saw Screen robbed of what should have been another league title, as the Eagles topped the league table before losing to Wolverhampton in the Final. Winning the KO Cup that year came as some consolation.
Nicki Pedersen's arrival at Eastbourne in 2003 signalled an exit for Screen and he once again returned to Kirkmanshulme Lane mid season. His departure from Arlington perhaps came at an apt time for the Warrington based rider, whose relationship with the Sussex club had frayed.
Although his scores did not show a marked sign of improvement, Screen's confidence returned during those 18 meetings back at Belle Vue and his form at the start of the 2004 season proved to the Aces management that their decision to include him over Aces favourite Jason Lyons was justified.

The "Screen Machine" celebrated an overdue testimonial meeting at Belle Vue in May 2004, before surprising many with a win at the British Championships at Oxford.
On the back of this triumph, Joe received a shock call up to the British World Cup team for their semi final meeting. Joe had previously asked to be written out of the plans, but team manager Neil Middleditch felt Screen would be an integral part of the set-up. He later helped them to the second spot on the rostrum, missing out to Sweden by just one point.Screen's ambitions of being world champion have long diminished, as he admits that the Grand Prix is just too costly for him to participate. He has first hand experience, too, having appeared in the series in 1996, finishing 13th. He also rode in 1999 (6th) and 2000 (16th), before withdrawing from the 2001 programme due to his thigh injury. He also appeared in the penultimate one-day final in 1993.

Joe continued his stay with the Aces in 2005 and, after making it clear that he had no intention of returning to the south coast, a bid was made to take him off Eastbourne's hands. It was rejected. The knock back didn't appear to dent his confidence as he went on to win silver in the Elite League Best Pairs at Peterborough with partner Jason Crump. But performances elsewhere appeared to be below par. Several weeks of poor results forced a move down to the reserve berth and Joe questioned whether he was still good enough to ride in the top flight. Luckily for him and for Belle Vue he did turn his season around. He was once again called up to the national team for the World Cup and he became an integral part of the play-off finalists and KO Cup winning team.

Joe finally became a fully fledged Ace for the second time, after a successful purchase from Eastbourne at the start of the 2006 campaign made him a Belle Vue asset once again. It set up what promised to be another good season for Joe, having worked hard on a fitness regime to get him in shape. Joe even underwent corrective surgery on his back after a injury threatened the rest of his career.
Joe lifted the tapes on the 2006 season with a bronze medal in the Peter Craven Memorial Trophy. But just days into the season, Joe became the first casualty in the team after breaking his collarbone at Brandon during the Aces' defeat against Coventry in the Elite League Shield. But his determination and a little help from a specialist physiotherapist, allowed him to jump back on his bike after just eighteen days.
Joe also celebrated a bronze medal in the British Final at Belle Vue in 2006, before ending his season just how it had started – injured - and he missed several meetings at the tail end of the season.

Last season was tough because a lot of the pressure of the team lacking a genuine No 1 fell on him, especially when Simon Stead's contribution was restricted by injury. But he kept battling away and is ready to play his full part in 2008.