DENNIS Andersson has revealed Tony Rickardsson was the man behind his arrival at Wimborne Road.

The young Swede and reigning European under-19 title holder is next door neighbours with the legendary six-times world individual champion.

And Andersson, who Castle Cover Pirates have snapped up on an assessed four-point average for 2011, said: “It’s great to sign for such a big club as Poole.

“I feel incredible about it. It’ll be my first year in British speedway and I’m excited.

“A few clubs were interested in me and Poole was one of them.

“Tony is helping me with my speedway and recommended Pirates because he rode there for quite a few years.

“So it was a pretty easy decision for me to make.”

Andersson, who also finished seventh in the world under-21 championship this year, nine points behind winner Darcy Ward over three rounds, added: “Tony is my neighbour in Sweden.

“He lives about 60 metres from my house in a village about 10 kilometres from Masarna’s track.

“I watched Tony ride for a long time while I was a youngster and he’s been a good friend of mine for a few years.

“He helps me a lot with everything. I ask him what I should buy, bikes and equipment wise, and he helps me with contracts and recommends clubs I should ride for.

“It’s not a managerial thing. He just helps me as a friend because I call him and ask.

“I’m extremely grateful for all his help.”

Andersson added: “I’ve only ridden once before in England, when I got 11 points for Sweden in the world under-21 team cup final at Rye House in September.

“It was a very small track and I borrowed Davey Watt’s bike and mechanic. I’ve ridden in the same Swedish team as Davey for three years and it was kind of him to lend me his equipment for that meeting.

“I haven’t been to Poole’s track before, but did stay in the town for half an hour when I picked up Davey’s bike before we went straight to Rye House.

“But I’m going back to Poole this week and shall be spending three days there, when I’ll be talking more with Matt Ford and to other people around the club.”

Andersson said he averaged about 6.05 for Lejonen in Sweden this year and about 4.75 for Wroclaw in Poland, top-flight teams he’ll ride for again in 2011.

“That’s why I felt I’d come straight into the Elite League and not go in the Premier,” added the Swede, who toppled Polish duo Przemyslaw Pawlicki and Patryk Dudek in a run-off to lift the European under-19 crown at Gorican in Croatia.

“I’ve raced for two years in those leagues now so I wanted to start in the Elite to learn against the best riders.

“It’ll be my first year in England so I want to learn as much as I can.

“It will be a learning curve for me, but I think I can do pretty well. Hopefully I can score five or six points a meeting, that’s my target.”

One of Andersson’s first appearances for Poole will be at Wolves in the Elite Shield on April 4. The return is in Dorset two nights later.

He might also line up for Pirates at Birmingham on March 28 in a league clash Sky are understood to have provisionally pencilled in to begin their domestic coverage in 2011.