WHEN Matt Ford speaks, people listen.

So perhaps it was no surprise that Pirates bounced back so emphatically from Monday’s capitulation when they faced Wolverhampton once again tonight.

Ford had made abundantly clear his displeasure after the spectacular collapse at Monmore, describing as “dreadful” and “unacceptable” a display in which Pirates had surrendered a 12-point advantage.

The promoter even admitted he had been forced to “consider options” over a team which he had hoped would deliver a third straight top-flight title, a feat not accomplished in British speedway since 1972.

Ford is not a man to make idle threats and the Wimborne Road chief revealed in his programme notes that a team change could be on the cards in the next fortnight.

And with that thought in their minds, the Pirates riders arrived at the tapes fired up and seemingly in the mood to make the promoter’s mind up for him.

Pirates had a full side for the Dorset duel but Wolves were again without regular reserves Lewis Blackbird and Josh Bates due to injury and illness, respectively, so Coventry’s James Sarjeant and Edinburgh’s Rob Branford stood in.

The rejuvenated Davey Watt opened by shattering the 2015 track record but team-mate Chris Holder, who had struggled to three points 48 hours earlier, was swiftly relegated to the back by Jacob Thorssell and Peter Karlsson.

Reserve duo Kyle Newman and Paul Starke then handed the home side control with an easy maximum in which Branford struggled to get to grips with the circuit, while Sarjeant was scarcely in greater contention.

Another 5-1 followed when Latvian Grand Prix winner Maciej Janowski gated and Dakota North dived daringly up the inside of Freddie Lindgren, the Aussie surviving a vicious locker a lap later to hold on to second.

Tobiasz Musielak stopped the rot for Wolves with an emphatic win in a shared and unremarkable heat four, while after the first track grading Watt and Starke made early passes on Thorssell and Sarjeant, respectively, to increase to 20-10 the Pirates advantage.

Despite two further turn-four scares, North managed to cling on to his handlebars to take the chequered flag next but Kacper Gomolski was never close to the third-placed Lindgren.

A blast round the boards from Janowski in heat seven saw the Polish champion roar from third to first on turn two, with the improved Holder easily ensuring a third maximum for the hosts.

Coventry’s Sarjeant had received boos throughout from supporters over his starting-gate spat with Poole start marshal Rob Wadham last month and the youngster again took centre stage in heat eight.

The Bees ace was twice ruled to have jumped the start and was hauled back to the pits by Wolves boss Peter Adams, with Branford his replacement.

Thorssell, on a tactical ride, inched in front of Gomolski on the back straight but Branford’s scoreless evening continued and the visitors could only reduce to 11 points the deficit.

A superb meeting for Watt continued in heat nine when he cruised to a third straight win with a gate-and-go success.

And North’s rapid start in the next clash was only eclipsed by an expert shielding job from Janowski as the impressive Thorssell tried frantically to find a way through.

Watt’s win-less run came to an end in heat 11 but Holder more than made up for that as he dipped under the 60-second mark with a dominant and confident ride that ended with a celebratory wheelie.

The roar of the night was reserved for Starke, who had it all to do after he missed the gate and Newman retired early with machinery woes. But the Somerset ace quickly reined in Branford and then chopped inside Sarjeant, earning the delighted cheers of the home supporters in the process.

That 3-3 ensured three points for Poole and, knowing the game was up, the visitors succumbed limply in heat 13 with the raw speed of Holder and Janowski proving far too much.

Musielak came to grief for a second time in the penultimate race and Ricky Wells broke the tapes in the re-run, allowing North and Gomolski to ease to five points, the latter taking the time to perform an extra victory lap.

North rounded off his outstanding paid maximum with a win in the final showdown, which alongside Watt’s third ensured Pirates hit 60.

RIDERS' SCORES AND HEAT DETAILS

Pirates 60: 1 Chris Holder (0-2*-3-3) 8+1, 2 Davey Watt (3-3-3-0-1) 10, 3 Dakota North (2*-3-3-3-3) 14+1, 4 Kacper Gomolski (2-0-2-2*) 6+1, 5 Maciej Janowski (3-3-2*-2*) 10+2, 6 Paul Starke (2*-1-1-3) 7+1, 7 Kyle Newman (3-1*-1*-r) 5+2. Team manager: Neil Middleditch.

Wolves 33: 1 Peter Karlsson (1*-2-0-0) 3+1, 2 Jacob Thorssell (2-2-6^-1-0) 11, 3 Ricky Wells (1-1-1*-1) 4+1, 4 Tobiasz Musielak (3-f-2-fx) 5, 5 Freddie Lindgren (0-1*-2-1-2) 6+1, 6 James Sarjeant, guest (1-0-0-2) 3, 7 Rob Branford, guest (0-0-0-1*) 1+1. Team manager: Peter Adams.

Ht 1: Watt, Thorssell, Karlsson, Holder, 59.06 (3-3)

Ht 2: Newman, Starke, Sarjeant, Branford, 60.41 (8-4)

Ht 3: Janowski, North, Wells, Lindgren, 60.03 (13-5)

Ht 4: Musielak, Gomolski, Newman, Branford, 60.60 (16-8)

Ht 5: Watt, Thorssell, Starke, Sarjeant, 60.34 (20-10)

Ht 6: North, Karlsson, Lindgren, Gomolski, 60.41 (23-13)

Ht 7: Janowski, Holder, Wells, Musielak (fell), 60.00 (28-14)

Ht 8 (re-run x2): Thorssell (tactical), Gomolski, Newman, Branford, 59.90 (31-20)

Ht 9: Watt, Musielak, Starke, Sarjeant, 60.78 (35-22)

Ht 10: North, Janowski, Thorssell, Karlsson, 60.53 (40-23)

Ht 11: Holder, Lindgren, Wells, Watt, 59.84 (43-26)

Ht 12 (re-run): Starke, Sarjeant, Branford, Newman (retired), 61.00 (46-29)

Ht 13: Holder, Janowski, Lindgren, Karlsson, 60.91 (51-30)                           

Ht 14 (re-run x2): North, Gomolski, Wells (tapes, 15m), Musielak (fell/dsq), 61.40 (56-31)

Ht 15: North, Lindgren, Watt, Thorssell, 61.59 (60-33)

ECHO STAR RIDER – DAKOTA NORTH

A couple of worrying moments at turn four early on were not enough to knock Dakota North off his stride.

A paid 15-point maximum was fully deserved on a night where the former Swindon man rode his heart out from start to finish.

North was full value for the entrance fee and there was no shortage of competition from his team-mates on that score.

Paul Starke deserves honourable mention for hitting seven points for the second home meeting in a row, while skipper Maciej Janowski was again superb.