GARY Havelock reckons Darcy Ward will have his pick of British clubs when he returns to speedway – but expects Poole Pirates to draft in their “box office” star.

Pirates asset Ward is eligible to ride from midnight on June 27 but promoter Matt Ford revealed last month that the Aussie ace could be loaned out to an Elite League rival for the rest of 2015.

Darcy Ward: Who said I would ride in British speedway this year?

Ford cited his reluctance to break up a Poole side he considers “the best seven-man team in British speedway” in order to accommodate the 23-year-old but Wimborne Road favourite and Coventry manager Havelock anticipates a change of heart when it comes to the crunch.

Havelock told the Daily Echo: “Darcy is box office, it’s as simple as that and I’m pretty sure Poole will find a way to fit him in.

“If they couldn’t for whatever reason, I have no doubt there would be a handful of clubs queuing up for his services.

“There are always clubs looking for riders due to injury. The bottom four or five might shift things round because of poor form and would always be keen on a class act like Darcy Ward.

“With our team as it is at the moment, it’s not something we would look to explore but you never know. Speedway is a dangerous sport, riders get injured all the time.

“I think if he wants it, he will get a job in England straight away. I gather his Swedish and Polish teams are standing by him so he should be able to fit back in there as well. We will have to wait and see but over here, he will have no trouble at all.”

Havelock, whose table-topping Bees welcome Pirates tonight (7.30pm), was banned for a year having tested positive for cannabis in 1989 but went on to lift the world championship in 1992.

And the Bees boss believes Ward can also recover from his fall from grace – provided he continues to seek counsel from the right quarters.

Havelock added: “I was lucky to be blessed with a natural talent, which Darcy also has. I just jumped straight back in, fitted into the team and pretty much carried on from where I left off.

“It is slightly more difficult for Darcy because it is midway through the season. He doesn’t know where he will be riding yet but the kid has so much talent, it won’t be a problem for him. He is the sort that can hop on a bike and get back to his best within one or two meetings.

“He is probably the most talented rider I have ever seen. Every man and his dog is going to be offering him advice but at the end of the day he just needs to close ranks, listen to Middlo (Poole manager Neil Middleditch) and Matt (Ford) and I’m sure he’ll be flying along before he knows it.”