POOLE boss Danny Ford has vowed it’s a “pivotal moment” for the club against Workington.
The Pirates take on the Comets in the first leg of their BSN Series semi-final at Wimborne Road tonight.
They are still chasing silverware on three fronts and will be looking to build a first leg advantage against the Comets, who they thrashed 61-29 on their previous meeting in Dorset.
But both sides are expecting a closer contest this time around, with Poole chasing a reaction to last week’s home defeat to Oxford. The home side bring in Ben Trigger at reserve to guest for the injured Vinnie Foord.
Ford said: “This is a pivotal moment for us to re-establish our momentum. Workington pose a different challenge to earlier in the season with guests Drew Kemp and Jason Edwards making them a formidable opponent around Wimborne Road.
“The stakes are high, and our focus is on securing the big win to keep our season on track.”
Meanwhile the Comets have two changes in their middle order as Jason Edwards and Drew Kemp replace Tate Zischke and Claus Vissing, the latter having sustained a broken right hand and dislocated shoulder in a recent crash at the GT Tyres Arena.
Workington promoter Andrew Bain said: “After Oxford’s result there last week there is no reason we can’t go and do the same – maybe catch them in the same rut as they were last week. But equally, Poole will be determined to avoid a similar performance.
“We’ve got two fantastic guests in Drew and Jason. If they do their job for us on Wednesday we should be in with a really good shout of getting a great result.”
POOLE: Richard Lawson, Sam Hagon, Ben Cook, Zach Cook, Tom Brennan, Tobias Thomsen, Ben Trigger.
WORKINGTON: Craig Cook, Jason Edwards, Antti Vuolas, Drew Kemp, Troy Batchelor, Sam McGurk, Paul Starke.
Words by Holeshot Media.
Images by Taylor Lanning.