CHRIS Holder reckons Darcy Ward’s influence could see Swindon win their battle for a play-off place – but insists Poole Pirates have the firepower to win the Elite League war. 

Pirates asset Ward lines up against his parent club for arch-rivals Robins tonight (7.30pm), six days after completing one of British speedway’s most talked about loan moves. 

Dubbed the Turbo Twins, Holder and Ward have been influential individually and as partners in helping Poole to each of the past five Elite League grand finals but now face the prospect of going head-to-head at Blunsdon. 

But while he understands the hype, 2012 world champion Holder has called for Pirates to shrug off the distraction of his compatriot’s switch and focus on the bigger prize – a third straight British crown.

Quizzed on Swindon’s play-off prospects with Ward in the saddle, Holder told the Daily Echo: “They will go close. In Darcy, they have a number one who is there every week and has experience of all the tracks as well as being a top rider.

“Their whole club will get a kick out of that, I’m sure. They will be a different side with him in there but one rider does not make a whole team. No matter how good you are, you need the other six boys to chip in. 

“He definitely strengthens them a lot and it will make them really tough to race against but when you look at our team, it is pretty solid all the way through. When everybody scores their points we look pretty unbeatable, certainly at Poole. 

“We could not break up a winning team, it would have been unfair on the boys who have done such a good job so far. I think Darcy understood that.

“Other clubs jumped at the chance to take him and weren’t afraid to break up their team. You can understand it because to have a rider of his calibre in your side is a big thing. 

“Swindon went for it and probably upset a few people but that is the way it is. You’re just a number and if your number doesn’t fit, you’re out. 

“We always have a tough one at Swindon. Throwing in Darcy mixes it up a bit but we can’t look at it like we’re racing against him, we’re racing against Swindon.” 

On facing his old sparring partner, Holder added: “I won’t be giving him anything! It will be a good first corner I reckon. 

“I won’t treat him any differently to anybody else and it will be the same for him. You just go out to get as many points as you can. You don’t really think about anybody else. 

“It will feel funny lining up with him wearing a different race suit but the team is on a good run at the moment.

“If we can go there and ride the way we did on Wednesday (against Lakeside) then we will give them a good run for their money. All we’re thinking about is beating them.”