'Too early' for a Zibi return (From Bournemouth Echo)

'Too early' for a Zibi return

7:00am Friday 1st August 2008 in

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NEIL Middleditch has admitted it would be great to see Zbigniew Suchecki ride for Pirates again.

But he believes it would be too risky for the Pole, who has just returned from long term injury, to come back into Poole Castle Cover's title-chasing team this year.

Suchecki, who broke his thigh while riding for the Dorset club against Eastbourne at Wimborne Road in April, has made a successful comeback by completing two fixtures for his Polish outfit Poznan.

The 24-year-old, who is an Ipswich asset, fired in 11 paid 12 at home to Rawicz but only got three paid four at Daugavpils, the Latvian club, in Polish Division One on Sunday.

Middleditch said: "I think it would be too much of a gamble coming back here from a broken thigh this season.

"It was a nasty, nasty injury.

"We are in a pressure cooker situation. We are trying to get into the play-offs.

"It would be a shame for Zibi to come back and get injured again, which would be the last thing we wanted.

"He is probably better suited getting his confidence back on Polish tracks, and we are well over halfway through the season now."

Looking back on Suchecki's six-week loan spell with Pirates, which ended with him having a CMA of 4.10, Middleditch said: "He was adapting to the track.

"Zibi was trying his best, he was popular with our crowd and he was enjoying his time here.

"It was a great shame we didn't see him ride to his full capabilities.

"The injury he had was a bad one, but he is still young.

"He needs to get more experience on the tracks he knows so well in Poland and avoid injuries."

For Suchecki to return to Poole, they would need to get permission from his parent club Ipswich, who have first call on his services in this country.

Suchecki's brave outside-around-the-boards racing style won him many admirers among the Wimborne Road faithful.

Asked if the Pole had any chance of returning to Pirates next year, Middleditch said: "We don't know what the future holds for the points limit next season.

"Until that time, we have to keep our options fairly open."