NEIL Middleditch watched Nicolai Klindt deliver a sensational debut in Pirates colours before admitting he could not afford to bank on a repeat performance from the dazzling Dane.

Reserve Klindt racked up 16 points from seven rides as Poole suffered a 50-40 defeat at Wolverhampton in the first leg of the SGB Premiership Shield.

On a night where a number of Poole riders failed to do notable damage on the scoreboard, Klindt's double-figure haul offered team boss Middleditch hope ahead of Wednesday's return leg at Wimborne Road.

Middleditch told the Daily Echo: "Nicolai was outstanding. He beat some very good riders but we can't bank on him to do that every meeting, so the other boys need to chip in.

"That's going to be the key factor in the second leg. Everyone is going to need to do their job. We are going to have to hit the ground running and, if we can, get on terms with them early.

"As a team, I think there were some good signs tonight. Brady Kurtz rode very hard for little reward and Jack Holder showed promise.

"Krzysztof Kasprzak was off it which, hopefully, won't happen again. He just couldn't get used to the track. On Wednesday, he will certainly score more."

Pirates were within touching distance of their hosts for the majority of the meeting but two closing 5-1s allowed Wolves – for whom Jacob Thorssell scored a 15-point paid maximum – to open up a useful advantage.

Middleditch added: "I'm disappointed because we lost it on the last couple of heats. Four or six points would have been more realistic.

"I would have been happy with a six to eight-point deficit but anything after that becomes difficult."

Pirates endured a tough start when Kyle Howarth and Freddie Lindgren notched a 5-1 but Wolves asset Klindt blitzed the reserves' race.

Putting behind him a Monmore nightmare in last season's play-off semi-final, Kurtz led skipper Hans Andersen to a maximum.

And in a re-run heat four, Holder and James Shanes had to settle for second and third, respectively, behind the dominant Thorssell.

Holder was immediately summoned for the next race where he was harshly excluded for apparently making contact with Clegg.

The next two heats were also shared. First, Thorssell made it two wins in as many starts before Klindt appeared to be heading a 5-1 with Kurtz, only for Lindgren and Sam Masters to split the pair late on.

Thorssell eased to a tapes-to-flag success next and heat nine served up the fourth successive 3-3.

Wolves regained the lead after Masters reeled in Kasprzak in heat 10 before Andersen bounced back from a first-turn fall to see off Lindgren in the re-run.

Klindt continued his stellar effort with a fourth race win in six and Andersen then split Lindgren and Masters with the Wolves pair on a 5-1.

But in the final two races, Thorssell and Masters, and then Lindgren and Thorssell, put clear air between the teams.

RIDERS' SCORES AND HEAT DETAILS

Wolverhampton 50: Freddie Lindgren (2*-2-2-3-3) 12+1, Kyle Howarth (3-3-2-1-1*) 10+1, Adam Skornicki r/r, Jacob Thorssell (3-3-3-3-2*) 14+1, Sam Masters (1-1*-3-1-2*) 8+2, Max Clegg (f-1-r-1*-2) 4+1, Nathan Greaves (2-0-r-0-0) 2.

Pirates 40: Krzysztof Kasprzak (r-2-2-0-1) 5, Jack Holder (1-2-x-1*-0) 4+1, Brady Kurtz (3-0-0-1) 4, Kyle Newman r/r, Hans Andersen (2*-1*-3-2-r) 8+2, Nicolai Klindt (3-2-3-2-3-3-0) 16, James Shanes (1-1*-0-1) 3+1.

HT 1: Howarth, Lindgren, Holder, Kasprzak (retired), 55.16 (5-1)

HT 2: Klindt, Greaves, Shanes, Clegg (fell), 56.50 (7-5)

HT 3: Kurtz, Andersen, Masters, Greaves (fell/rem), 55.87 (8-10)

HT 4 (re-run): Thorssell, Holder, Shanes, Greaves (retired), 54.90 (11-13)

HT 5: Howarth, Klindt, Clegg, Holder (dsq), awarded (15-15)

HT 6: Thorssell, Kasprzak, Andersen, Clegg (retired), 54.92 (18-18)

HT 7: Klindt, Lindgren, Masters, Kurtz, 56.32 (21-21)

HT 8: Thorssell, Klindt, Holder, Greaves, 55.60 (24-24)

HT 9: Klindt, Howarth, Clegg, Shanes, 56.58 (27-27)

HT 10: Masters, Kasprzak, Howarth, Holder, 56.94 (31-29)

HT 11 (re-run): Andersen, Lindgren, Howarth, Kurtz, 57.87 (34-32)

HT 12: Klindt, Clegg, Shanes, Greaves, 57.49 (36-36)

HT 13: Lindgren, Andersen, Masters, Kasprzak, 56.50 (40-38)

HT 14: Thorssell, Masters, Kurtz, Klindt, 57.35 (45-39)

HT 15: Lindgren, Thorssell, Kasprzak, Andersen (retired), 56.75 (50-40)