WORKINGTON boss James Denham admits they have a “big task” against Poole.
The Comets host the Pirates in the second leg of their Cab Direct Championship play-off semi-final at 3pm, live on BSN.
The Pirates travel to the GT Tyres Arena with a 14-point advantage after Wednesday’s opener in Dorset, and they have gone well at the Northside venue this season.
They raced to a 53-37 away win in the regular league clash, before drawing 45-45 in the BSN Series recently.
The Comets bring in Charles Wright, Jason Edwards and Dan Thompson to replace injured trio Craig Cook, Claus Vissing and Tate Zischke – and manager James Denham insists the task is not beyond them.
He said: “We’ve got a big task on Saturday no doubt, but if someone had said before Wednesday’s meeting that we would lose by 14 points I would have taken that.
“Poole are strong and they’ve shown that everywhere this season, but 14 points is definitely attainable and we are going to throw everything and more at it.
“I don’t need to tell the lads what’s at stake, they know, and they know the job they need to do. I am sure Antti (Vuolas) and Troy (Batchelor) will score better at Northside than they did at Poole, and if Paul (Starke) continues his form from Wednesday we will have a fighting chance.”
Poole promoter Dan Ford said: “We head to Workington with a 14-point lead, but we’re not just looking to defend that. We will be pushing for the win on the ‘night’.
“With Charles Wright, Jason Edwards and Dan Thompson guesting, Workington will be a very strong side, especially on their home track. But our boys are up for the challenge, and we are fully focused on getting the job done and securing our place in the Final.”
WORKINGTON: Charles Wright, Jason Edwards, Antti Vuolas, Dan Thompson, Troy Batchelor, Paul Starke, Sam McGurk.
POOLE: Richard Lawson, Sam Hagon, Ben Cook, Zach Cook, Tom Brennan, Tobias Thomsen, Vinnie Foord.
Stream live here
Words by Holeshot Media.
Images by Taylor Lanning.