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Middleditch relieved to have left the Abbey with a win
Poole Pirates manager Neil Middleditch saw his side emerge victorious from the Abbey on bank holiday Monday after a hard fought afternoon of racing which went down to the wire. The Dorset boss offered his thoughts to Total Sport's Ryan Walker in the aftermath.
With the eventual 46-44 meeting coming right down to the wire in a last heat decider, it was a tense affair for both sets of riders and Middleditcn was glad to escape the Abbey with victory.
“It was a really great meeting tonight,” Middleditch began.
“There were three five one’s that Swindon banged in halfway through the meeting and I thought 'oh here we go again'.
“But the boys dug deep and I’m very happy with the win especially given the rivalry between the two sides," he added.
The win for the Pirates at the Abbey stadium see’s them pick up their first away points so far this season and although delighted, Middleditch didn’t have an answer as to what has took his side so long to finally get going.
“You know, I can’t really put my finger on what it is that has took us so long to get going,” Middleditch admitted.
“We haven’t really all been clicking as a unit away from home so far this year.
“As you said it’s our first points away from home this season, and to come here at Swindon who have been in such good form with six meetings unbeaten is quite an achievement," he said.
Leading the World Championships on 26 points, there is no doubt that Chris Holder is one of the World’s top riders, however his form has been mixed when racing at league level so far this year.
But Middleditch told Total Sport that he isn’t worried and has put his star man’s form down to a lack of racing.
“I think with Chris it’s just a matter of getting meetings under his belt and building confidence," Middleditch explained.
“Swindon is a very tough track to ride.
“It’s such a big fast track and you need to have some really good engines to do well here.
“The Swindon boys have got their bikes well dialled in and if they get out in front then they are very hard to pass," he added.
The decision made by the Poole Pirates to replace fan favourite Davy Watt with Bjarne Pedersen in April received mixed reviews. However Middleditch stands by the decision made by club boss Matt Ford.
“Matt makes the decisions as far as riders are concerned," said Middleditch.
“We were winning when we let Davy go but it’s one of those tough decisions that you have to make in Speedway.
“Davy is a very close friend and so is Bjarne but Matt has got to do what he thinks is right for the team and he felt this was the right move," he added.
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