MATT Ford admitted he would gladly welcome back Dakota North to Pirates after the Aussie opted to take a break from British speedway.

The 24-year-old North is set to remain in Australia during 2016 to help out father Rod, who underwent surgery following an industrial accident in September.

But Poole promoter Matt Ford insists that he will be at the front of the queue if the Victorian elects to make a return to the Elite League in future.

Ford told the Daily Echo: “Dakota North is looking to sit 2016 out and while I’m not entirely certain we could have fitted him in anyway, our thoughts are with him and we hope his father makes as good a recovery as possible.

“I would certainly want to work with Dakota again. He’s quite an eccentric character but you know exactly where you stand with him and I think he did a good job.

“Oddly, his average did actually fall but that could work to our benefit in the future and I would certainly hope that Dakota would come back to the club.”