ALUN Rossiter claims Pirates chiefs must be “brutal” to save their season but is warning the doubters: “Write off Matt Ford at your peril.”

Legendary former Poole captain Rossiter – now manager of the club’s arch rivals Swindon – gave his verdict on Pirates’ prospects after they had sunk to the bottom of the Elite League.

Wimborne Road promoter Ford says he is ready to make “unpopular” decisions as he prepares to make team changes in an attempt to revive injury-plagued Pirates’ diminishing play-off hopes.

Rossiter, Poole’s grand final nemesis in 2010 and 2012, thinks Ford’s options are heavily restricted due to the sport’s controversial new grading system for riders.

But the Robins boss, who famously guided Coventry to the title at Poole’s expense following a similarly dire start to the 2010 campaign, emerged as an unlikely ally as he insisted Ford could still get it right.

Rossiter told the Daily Echo: “In fairness to Poole, the new grading system has stopped them.

“There is a perfect example with one of Poole’s riders from last year, Piotr Pawlicki. In a realistic world, he is a five-and-a-half-point rider, but he has been graded at six-and-a-half points.

“If we were being honest, there was a loophole. As an association, they have tried to tighten it up. That really makes it hard for Poole to make any big decisions.

“There are riders that will come but a lot of them are stranded on averages which are too high. That is the bottom line. That will restrict Poole.”

Rossiter, who is ranked 15th in Pirates’ list of all-time top point-scorers, continued: “The one thing I have learned with Matt is that you never write him off. You write him off at your peril. He will be working hard.

“Sometimes, you have to show a little bit of loyalty with riders. From my point of view at Swindon, we hadn’t won the league for 45 years so we had to be a little bit brutal to do it.

“It (reaching the play-offs) is going to be a big ask unless Matt is going to be brutal and, unfortunately, drop one of his reserves. It is a big question and it comes back to loyalty.”

Rossiter, a member of the Poole Pirates Hall of Fame and a three-times championship winner with the club, added: “Matt just seems to have the knack of pulling something out of the bag. If I was dealing with him coming up to any play-offs or finals, I would certainly treat him with the utmost respect.

“Don’t underestimate Matt. They are not a spent force. But with the new regulations, I do believe Matt’s hands are tied.”

Pirates chances of climbing the table have been severely hit by a shoulder injury to Ward, which could keep the number one out of action for around two months. But key middle-order man Robert Miskowiak is set to return for tomorrow’s trip to King’s Lynn.