MATT Ford has slammed some of Pirates’ “so-called supporters” after claiming they’ve “abused” him on the club’s own internet fans’ forum for staging the New Year Classic.

Ford is putting on the event at Wimborne Road on January 4 in memory of Newport promoter Tim Stone, who died earlier this year.

The meeting – the only one allowed to be held in Britain in the month of January – had been staged regularly by Stone up until his death.

After Stone died, the club was forced to pull out of the Premier League in mid-season.

And it has only been this month that Steve Mallett, a long-time sponsor of Wasps and ex-Poole rider Craig Watson, has taken over ownership of the club.

Fortunately, it looks like the Welsh outfit will be able to take their place in the Premier next term.

But news of their possible resurrection came far too late for them to be considered to host the next New Year Classic.

Ford said: “I’m upset that some Poole fans have given me abuse on the internet for getting the January meeting.

“Every promoter in British speedway had the chance to get that meeting and five of us sat in a room during a BSPA meeting and said that we wanted to have it.

“It was a case of every promoter having a chance to put in a written application by September 30 and we were the only ones who did that.

“So I don’t know why it is deemed controversial, disrespectful and distasteful by some of our own so-called fans on the internet that we are staging the January event.

“Tim and I were friends for a long time but, oddly enough, I seem to have upset people by saying the meeting will be held in memory of Tim Stone.

“I tried to help him an awful lot over the last few years, feeding him riders and paying for riders to come across to Britain.

“So I don’t think I did anything wrong by saying I would apply for, along with Rob Godrey (Scunthorpe), Jonathan Chapman (King’s Lynn), Len Silver (Rye House) and Bob Dugard (Eastbourne), that meeting.

“We all had a chance to apply for the licence but we were the only ones who got the paperwork to the Speedway Control Bureau on time.

“I’m extremely sorry if people feel I jumped in after Tim’s death, but he died in May and we applied in September.

“He was a big friend of mine, and of many other people in speedway, and the last thing I would want to be is disrespectful to him.”

Ford had already made it clear Poole have been given the licence for one year only, and that it will be reviewed for 2010.

Confirmed starters in the January 4 event are Edward Kennett, Lewis Bridger, Daniel King, Oliver Allen, Stuart Robson, Emil Kramer and David Howe.