PIRATES boss Matt Ford believes Mateusz Szczepaniak has got better with age and says the “stubborn” Polish flier can mix it with the SGB Premiership big boys.

Ford delved into speedway’s bargain basement to secure the double signing of Szczepaniak and Poole asset Kacper Woryna on 4.54 and 4.65 averages, respectively, news revealed at tonight’s sponsors dinner.

King’s Lynn asset Szczepaniak has just enjoyed the season of his life having topped the Polish second tier averages and finished seventh in the Speedway European Championship, ahead of ex-Grand Prix riders Kenneth Bjerre and Michael Jepsen Jensen.

The 30-year-old also came within one meeting of a full-time berth in next year’s world championship, ending 11th in the Grand Prix Challenge at Russian circuit Togliatti.

Szczepaniak will be used at reserve by Pirates but Ford insists the former World Under-21 Team Cup winner has the talent to roar out of the bottom two and lower the colours of number ones.

Ford told the Daily Echo: “Mat has always had the ability to do more. He has matured as a rider and has got better the older he has got, no more so than in the campaign just gone.

"He is such a racer and a gater that he will be very stubborn and hard to beat. The hard task will be for the number ones to try to pass him.

“I’ve been trying to persuade him to come to the UK for many seasons and sadly it has not materialised. Even last year when I was trying to make changes, I was trying to get him to come in.

"But finally Mat is joining us and I’m very happy about it. I’m hopeful it’s going to work perfectly and he will enjoy himself at Poole.”

Szczepaniak had the briefest of spells at Poole in 2011 in his first foray into British racing.

Signed midway through the campaign, Szczepaniak sustained knee ligament damage on his debut against Birmingham at Wimborne Road and was ruled out for the season.

Ford had intended to recruit the Pole weeks into the 2012 campaign, only for average complications to conspire against him. Szczepaniak spent the rest of the season at King’s Lynn and helped the Stars finish seventh.

The following year, Szczepaniak’s exploits on British shores came to an abrupt end when he was axed from his reserve berth at Coventry after five matches.

Ford added: “Mat has had times in the UK which haven’t worked but that often happens with Polish riders who are used to big tracks.

“In recent years we’ve gone from quite a small-track league to a predominantly big-track league, which may help him.”

Szczepaniak and Woryna will tomorrow meet fans in Pirates’ pop-up store in the Dolphin Shopping Centre (12noon-2.30pm).

Ford has 17.89 points with which to recruit his final three riders.

Pirates 2018: Brady Kurtz 8.08, Josh Grajczonek 7.34, Kacper Woryna 4.65, Mateusz Szczepaniak 4.54.