PROMOTER Matt Ford admitted to having had mixed feelings following the first leg of Poole’s Elite League grand final at Belle Vue tonight.

Pirates surrendered a 10-point lead over the closing three heats as the Aces battled back to claim a share of the spoils from an absorbing 46-46 draw.

The final meeting at Kirkmanshulme Lane before Belle Vue move to a new stadium next year was a topsy-turvy affair for both teams.

Belle Vue were on the receiving end of a couple of debatable refereeing decisions early on, while Pirates’ Kacper Gomolski was forced to retire from the meeting due to injury.

The teams will renew rivalry in Wednesday’s second leg at Wimborne Road where Pirates will be bidding to complete a hat-trick of titles and a fourth in five years.

Ford told the Daily Echo: “If someone had asked me before the meeting whether I would be happy to take a draw, I would have been over the moon.

“We drew at Coventry in the semi-final and then did the business at home. We are still unbeaten in the play-offs this year so we can’t be disappointed. It was a very good result for us.

“Paul Starke and Kyle Newman were both outstanding and our reserves were the difference for us tonight but the top-end didn’t quite firing.

“It is a track we are not that great on so, rather than feeling negative, we should go away feeling very positive after coming here and getting a draw.

“There was a tinge of disappointment. They had a tactical ride which gave them double points in one heat. They had a couple of things go wrong and so did we. Kacper sustained his injury and Magic just couldn’t find his set-up.

“I can’t say I am disappointed we won’t be coming here again. They will be in a new home next year, thankfully, because this is not the best of speedway tracks.”

Asked whether he felt a resounding win could have affected the crowd at Wimborne Road on Wednesday, Ford, who saw Poole established a 13-point lead after six heats, added: “We are opening the gates early at 6pm because we are expecting a large crowd and I would advise people to get there as early as possible.

“I guess if we had won comfortably there was a point when some people may say it may have affected the crowd but, in all honesty, I don’t see it that way. It was always going to be a good crowd.”

Ford said Gomolski, who took some skin off his upper leg, was likely to have treatment to his injury today but “didn’t see any reason why” he would not ride in the second leg.