MATT Ford admits a last-minute competition switch has done his depleted Pirates side no favours.

Tonight’s scheduled Elite Shield first leg between Poole Castle Cover and Wolves at Monmore Green has now been amended to become an Elite League fixture.

The meeting will be covered on Sky Sports – Pirates’s second appearance on the small screen in quick succession following last week’s televised victory over Birmingham.

But Ford admits he would have liked the league fixture against the Midlands title hopefuls to have come later in the season – when injured Aussie Darcy Ward is sure to be racing again.

Promoter Ford said: “Personally, it is not ideal for us. I would have preferred the meeting to have remained the first leg of the Shield which would have given us the opportunity to have the opening competition with both legs over 72 hours.

“Also, I would have liked to have been travelling to Wolverhampton in the league with a full-strength team but, unfortunately, Darcy Ward will still be sidelined.

“I’m expecting a different meeting to our opening league fixture at Birmingham last Monday.

“But we’ll take heart from our last fixture at Wolverhampton when we drew the Elite League play-off semi-final last September – a match also live on Sky Sports.”

Wolves: Freddie Lindgren, Peter Karlsson. Tai Woffinden, Ty Proctor, Ludvig Lindgren, Tyson Burmeister, Ricky Wells.

Pirates: Chris Holder, Davey Watt, Jason Doyle, Renat Gafurov, rr for Darcy Ward, Christian Hefenbrock, Dennis Andersson.