POOLE Pirates promoter Matt Ford revealed his dismay at Coventry refusing to reschedule tonight’s Elite League clash and insisted: “It was not my decision.”

Pirates will be without number one and Grand Prix star Chris Holder at Brandon (7.30pm) due to his commitments with Polish club Torun.

There was no clash when the British fixtures were planned but a switch for the benefit of broadcasters on the continent, which Ford said occurred prior to the season starting, meant the 2012 world champion would be required to ride in Poland.

The Wimborne Road chief tried to get the meeting changed but was met with stubborn resistance from his Coventry counterparts. Wolverhampton’s Freddie Lindgren is set to guest at number one.

Ford told the Daily Echo: “There is a bit of frustration on our part, certainly.

“Without going into too many details, assistance was given to some Friday clubs to change fixtures to avoid clashes with Poland, who had put fixtures on dates traditionally reserved for British speedway.

“For example, I know fixture clashes for Krzysztof Kasprzak (Coventry’s number one) have been moved.

“I would argue the paying fans at Coventry would have wanted to see Chris Holder but the management chose to stage the fixture without him.

“Freddie is a great replacement but I have always been a firm believer in taking full teams to the track. It is what everyone wants to see.

“I flagged this up two months ago, before the season had started, but I was informed Coventry had meeting sponsors in place, a mascot arranged and they wanted to honour that date.

“I think it is a shame the public don't get to see Chris and that our travelling supporters don't get to see a full Pirates team but our hands are tied. It was not my decision.”

But despite the setback, Ford is confident Coventry’s stance will not become the norm among Britain’s top clubs.

“I remember cancelling a fixture at short notice a couple of years ago and there was hell to pay but sometimes, you have to do it,” he added.

“I have had two clubs this week tell me their fixtures against us need to be moved, one being Leicester's on May 7.

“That is because Sky Sports will be showing Leicester City’s Premier League match. These things happen, there are clashes at times and many promoters try to work together on it. The majority are quite helpful.

The international fixture list guides promoters, flagging up which riders are not available before they schedule home fixtures or agree to away dates.

"In this case, our fixture list was done but Poland put on a televised meeting on the same date,” explained Ford.

“Because of Chris’s continued service at Torun, they got preference over us because he didn’t start 2014 here.”

The Bees will run rider replacement for the injured Kacper Woryna.

Meanwhile, the trip to Leicester has been rearranged for Monday, May 9. 

Coventry: Krzysztof Kasprzak, Jason Garrity, Danny King, Chris Harris, R/R for Kacper Woryna, Josh Bates, James Sarjeant. Team manager: Gary Havelock.

Pirates: (from) Freddie Lindgren (guest), Brady Kurtz, Hans Andersen, Davey Watt, Krzysztof Buczkowski, Adam Ellis, Kyle Newman. Team manager: Neil Middleditch.