MATT Ford reeled in Chris Holder and Davey Watt for Pirates' Elite League title defence and insisted the duo would defy critics and make a crucial impact.

Promoter Ford completed his team-building with the recruitment of the Aussie club assets, who join Hans Andersen, Krzysztof Buczkowski, Brady Kurtz, Kyle Newman and Adam Ellis in the 2016 line-up.

Holder's average dropped by more than a point to 7.47 last year but Ford dismissed as "naive" critics of the 2012 world champion, a contributor to five league titles in the skull and crossbones.

And the Wimborne Road chief also defended the signing of Watt on a 7.19 average, an increase of nearly half a point on his rating last year, before appointing the 37-year-old team captain.

Ford told the Daily Echo: "I wouldn't want to work with other riders if I had the opportunity to work with Chris Holder.

"I want people to give Chris a chance and let him prove what he is about. It's unwise for people to think that he is not capable of being a top rider and that is a quite naive thought, in my opinion.

"Chris has had two incredibly hard injuries to recover from and a tremendous shock to his system with his best friend, Darcy Ward, becoming paralysed.

"This isn't a guy that has suddenly gone from being a world champion to an also-ran. You only have to look at his career since he won the world title – he has had a lot of unrest.

"Let's give him time, hope he can stay injury-free and have a run where he can get his own mind back and start to take on the best again."

Watt has a sensational record in Pirates kevlars having played his part in five league titles in six separate seasons and helped the Dorset side finish runners-up in 2010.

Addressing the Queenslander's return to the captain's position and seven-point average, Ford added: "Davey's record is simply outstanding. He is a lucky charm to the club and was the prime candidate for the captain's role.

"I want Chris and Hans to avoid any additional pressure and I'm confident that Davey is the right man. He is 37 years of age and has plenty of experience of coping with certain things in life.

"There is an element of a question mark with his average being slightly high at 7.19 but he is very capable.

"If you look in the list of averages of people coming back into the Elite League, Davey actually has a very fair average. It's our responsibility to make sure he performs to the best of his ability."

Pirates line-up: Chris Holder 7.47, Davey Watt 7.19, Krzysztof Buczkowski 6.48, Hans Andersen 6.45, Brady Kurtz 5.24, Kyle Newman 4.10, Adam Ellis 3.00.