TEAM boss Neil Middleditch insisted Poole Pirates had coped admirably despite recent injuries to key personnel.

Knee and elbow problems sidelined Maciej Janowski and Kyle Newman, respectively, while Davey Watt only made his 2015 Elite League bow at Wolverhampton six days ago.

Poole lost heavily at Monmore but gained revenge 48 hours later before recording an impressive win at Lakeside.

The Wimborne Road side currently sit second in the standings as they target a third straight top-flight title.

Middleditch told the Daily Echo: "It's always a bother when you have injuries but we have covered and managed to get through it.

"With the injuries we've had, we've done tremendously well. We came away with a win from Lakeside on Friday and that was a good result for us.

"We've got a few matches in hand on Coventry so the signs are good. I'm very happy with the progress of the Pirates so far.

"Once we get a full team back, we can gauge how things are going.

"It's a long old season and you can't take too much from the start of the year. The play-offs are where you want to be and if we can get there, anything can happen."