MATT Ford admitted Pirates' reserves had been 'left wanting' but insisted he would bide his time before making a decision on shuffling his pack.

Poole suffered a hefty 52-38 defeat at Somerset in the first leg of the Knockout Cup quarter-final on Wednesday, with the visitors' bottom two enduring a difficult night.

European number seven Mateusz Szczepaniak managed a paltry one paid two, while James Shanes fared little better en route to a three-point return.

Conversely, the Rebels racked up 15 points from reserve, a mammoth contributor to the final scoreline.

The cup reverse came in the wake of three SGB Premiership defeats, two of them by significant margins. And while that left Ford considering his next move, the Pirates boss felt electing to stick rather than twist would prove the better option.

He told the Daily Echo: "It hasn’t gone unnoticed that we are struggling. Our top five scored just three points fewer than Somerset's top five but we were left wanting, not for the first time, at reserve.

“We scored four points but two of them were gifted because Peter Kildemand fell and Josh Grajczonek was driven wide in one race.

“Last year, Mat was the top points scorer in the Polish second division above the likes of Hans Andersen, Troy Batchelor and Rohan Tungate and you don’t become a bad rider overnight.

“He finished last season on a high but some riders take a break and come back improved and some seem to lose form. Mat himself is questioning everything.

“It’s unfortunate for him. He is a better rider than this but, clearly, if he is not scoring it does put pressure on James, who is finding his way in the sport.

“Making a change now may not be in our interests in terms of averages. The reserve positions are causing issues but I don't want to make a knee-jerk reaction.

“Once we have done four home and four away meetings, there may be better alternatives available. We could make a small change now but after four home and four away, there may be a much vaster degree of what we can do.

“I want to give these guys time to find their form rather than make changes immediately."

Second-stringer Linus Sundstrom has yet to surpass his 7.17 average in any of Pirates' five competitive meetings.

However, Ford underlined his faith that the World Cup winner – who he captured after a lengthy winter pursuit – would hit his stride soon.

“I think the other guys have shown enough signs that they have the ability," said Ford.

“Against Somerset, Linus beat Jason Doyle and I think he will improve. Brady Kurtz, Josh and Peter have all been okay.

“I believe Linus will step up and I know we have to get more from our reserves. That is my concern."

Pirates are next in action on Monday, when they face a testing Premiership fixture against reigning champions Swindon at Blunsdon.

The Robins roared to a 52-38 success at Wimborne Road last month.