PROMOTER Matt Ford refused to get embroiled in the blame game following the controversial late postponement of Poole Pirates’ Elite League play-off semi-final on Monday.

Angry fans took to social media to vent their frustration after the decisive Wimborne Road clash against King’s Lynn was called off at the 11th hour.

A minority of conspiracy theorists even suggested Poole had wanted the fixture to be called off after a hole in the track caused by remedial work had scuppered any chance of action.

Ford was dismissive of the accusations and insisted that the quality of speedway would have been significantly compromised even if track covers had been used.

The Pirates chief told the Daily Echo: “The track simply had too much rain on it and while the staff worked very hard to get it back together, when the wet weather came again at about 5pm it just wouldn’t bind.

“In the end the rain was too much for the track. Had it been a standard meeting, perhaps it would have been called off earlier but we had to make every effort to get it on with the television cameras in town.

“It was one of those unfortunate things. Swindon’s meeting went ahead and the race times were all much slower than their track record. It clearly showed that the weather had a detrimental effect on the speedway.

“Track covers have been tried and tested and unfortunately it has proved difficult to get right. If you were to talk to the riders who took part at Swindon (where track covers were utilised) it still caused problems.

“Every track has a different size and shape and water has a way of finding wherever it wants to go. Covering an area of some 300 metres is very difficult.

“We also have to be honest and say that weather affects every sport. When you try to play football in December it’s the same thing. It’s rare for any club in any sport to not suffer some sort of cancellation.”

Ford reported he was in the process of recruiting two guests for Thursday’s rescheduled meeting, with Vaclav Milik set to return to the line-up. The Pirates promoter was awaiting confirmation from prospective replacements for Darcy Ward (suspended) and Josh Grajczonek (injured).

Polish duo Maciej Janowski and Shamek Pawlicki have been passed fit despite feeling the effects of recent injuries.