RELIEVED Matt Ford has revealed that Josh Grajczonek could make his Pirates comeback in Friday’s Elite League trip to Coventry.

The Aussie charger suffered a fractured eye socket, broken nose and cracked tooth while guesting for Birmingham on May 30.

Poole promoter Ford had admitted that replacing Grajczonek was an option if the 24-year-old’s recovery time turned out to be in excess of a month.

The Manchester-based rider has so far not missed a single completed Pirates meeting since sustaining his injuries, due to a home abandonment against Wolverhampton and the subsequent two-week break from action.

Now Ford is hopeful that the doubling-up flyer – who was due to have stitches removed today – will boost the play-off hopes of the defending champions by lining up against the Bees at Brandon.

Ford told the Daily Echo: “Josh has made really good progress and his face looks much better.

“He will definitely miss Wednesday but there is a chance he could make his return on Friday at Coventry, although we don’t know for sure at this point in time.

“He will be sore having had the stitches out but he should know if he can get a crash helmet on or not. He’s definitely feeling better, that’s the crucial thing.

“By the time Coventry comes round it will have been three weeks out, so it wasn’t far off a month. It will be a relief to have him back sooner rather than later.”

In Grajczonek’s absence, Edward Kennett will guest against Leicester at Wimborne Road on Wednesday (7.30pm).

Kennett currently commands a hefty 8.90 average as Rye House number one in the Premier League.

The former Swindon man had a brief spell with Birmingham earlier this season, before being replaced by Nico Covatti at the beginning of May.

Meanwhile, Pirates’ Czech ace Vaclav Milik finished second in Friday’s European Under-21 semi- final on home shale in Pardubice.

Andzejs Lebedevs triumphed on 14 points with Milik second on 13+3 and Kacper Woryna third on 13+2.