POOLE Pirates chief Matt Ford revealed Kacper Gomolski had been the intended recipient of his August axe and then lauded the Pole for making it “impossible” to drop him.

An infuriated Ford made it clear team changes could be on the cards after Pirates relinquished a 12-point lead at Wolverhampton in July, a result which put in serious jeopardy their hopes of finishing top of the Elite League.

The rumour mill rumbled throughout August before Ford opted to stick with the septet that had kicked off the campaign following a 50-40 victory at Lakeside.

And the Wimborne Road chief’s faith was swiftly repaid as Poole sealed their spot at the summit with a meeting to spare before seeing off Coventry and Belle Vue in the play-offs to lift a third straight championship – the first club to achieve the feat in the Elite League era.

Gomolski played a significant role in a 10-match unbeaten run to the silverware, arresting his personal mid-season slump to register 77 plus 10 bonus points whilst wowing the crowd with some dazzling antics.

Ford told the Daily Echo: “Kacper has been fantastic. He was probably my main concern because I had a real feeling we would end up meeting Belle Vue and my fear was that he could not get to grips with their track.

“He scored zero there in June and was only getting fours, fives and sixes at home at that point having started the season in such a rich vein of form.

“Sometimes it is best not to pick out names, instead just put it out there that you’re thinking of making changes but certainly, Kacper was my main worry.

“I had effectively lined up somebody to replace him but he just got better week after week and made it impossible for me to make that change.

“Now, I am so pleased he did and I probably learned a valuable lesson from the whole experience as well.”