TEAM boss Neil Middleditch revealed that the Poole Pirates hierarchy had consulted their riders before picking Coventry as their semi-final opponents.

The Elite League table toppers surprised some speedway fans by opting to face their nearest rivals in the play-offs, avoiding derby adversaries Swindon and their bogey track at Belle Vue.

Poole’s choice appears to have been a savvy one after retaining parity after 15 heats at Brandon ahead of tonight’s home leg (7.30pm), while Swindon face the daunting task of overturning a 14-point deficit following their treacherous night against the Aces at Kirkmanshulme Lane.

But Gary Havelock’s Bees boast the next-best away record in the league after Pirates and won by nine points at Wimborne Road in April with Middleditch admitting a sixth straight final appearance is far from guaranteed.

Middleditch told the Daily Echo: “With the way this season panned out, it was always going to be a tough choice so we sat down with the boys and discussed where we felt we would perform best and we know we race well at Coventry every time.

“I don’t think it needed any vindication but coming away with the result we have showed it probably was the right choice.

“The draw is good and has put us in the driving seat. The Bees coming here with a 10-point lead would have been a problem but I am certainly not complacent.

“They led the league for most of the season and are very capable of coming to Poole to winning, we know that. We just have to make sure we beat them.”

Meanwhile, the manager insists the other semi-final, scheduled to take place at the same time, is not a foregone conclusion, despite Belle Vue taking a bumper lead to Wiltshire.

“You can never discount Swindon,” he added. “People like (Grzegorz) Zengota and others who had a bad night up at Belle Vue won’t make the same mistakes round their home track, that’s for sure.

“We are all in the play-offs for a reason so if we get there, I’m happy to take on either of them. Whoever we get, it will be tough but we’re not frightened of anyone.

“You probably have the toughest top four for a long time. In previous years there has perhaps been a weak link but this time all four are very capable of winning the league, which is why the choice was so hard.”