PROMOTER Matt Ford admits it is unlikely he will bring a world-class rider into the Pirates line-up before the transfer window slams shut.

Ford has until midnight tomorrow to act if he deems changes necessary, with any moves having to be made three clear days before Monday's cut-off.

Having witnessed his side suffer a 56-34 hammering at in-form Swindon tonight, Ford told the Daily Echo: "It is 11th hour and 59th minute stuff. The chances of one of the world's top 10 giving me a call are incredibly slim.

"In speedway, you never say never but sadly, with the restriction of leagues, I don't think it will happen.

"There aren't a glut of riders looking to come to Britain so it's tough to make changes which are going to make us that much stronger.

"We've just got to dig deep and see if we can get some points out of three incredibly tough meetings – two against Belle Vue and one against Wolverhampton."

Poole needed a good start at Blunsdon but did not get one. Hans Andersen was passed on the line by opposite number Jason Doyle and then Robins duo Adam Ellis and Zach Wajtknecht were barely tested en route to a maximum.

Aussie youngster Jack Holder emerged battered, bruised and excluded from race three, which was won by Richie Worrall after his team-mate had collected Bradley Wilson-Dean.

Two 5-1s quickly followed, the second of which blunted Andersen's tactical ride and left the visitors 14 points behind after just five heats.

Tobiasz Musielak became the third Swindon rider – alongside Ellis and Nick Morris – to be given a start warning but it did not throw the home side off course as Doyle spearheaded a further maximum.

The next three heats were shared with race nine awarded following Wilson-Dean's fall. But the next outing saw order restored as Doyle coasted in for the win and a Swindon 4-2, despite Holder showing some fight.

Helped by the exclusion of Ellis and Morris's 15m handicap for moving at the start for a second time, Poole banked their maiden heat advantage at the 11th attempt.

After rain briefly fell, Wilson-Dean sealed the Robins' win by taking the chequered flag – after Wajtknecht's exclusion.

A round-the-boards move from Lahti on Doyle proved too little, too late and following a Robins 4-2 in the penultimate race, Holder won a shared closing showdown.

Ford added: "The first six races were when the damage was done. They were trapping so much better than us.

"Hans had a good go in his first ride and Richie got us a win but other than that, the first six races were appalling.

"But there were signs of hope. Jack Holder was superb in heat 15 and Timo Lahti looked far more at the races.

"The truth is that heat leader strength isn't really there and we are struggling to cope with opposition riders at the moment."

RIDERS' SCORES AND HEAT DETAILS

Swindon 56: 1 Jason Doyle (3-3-3-1*) 10+1, 2 Tobiasz Musielak (1-2*-3-1) 7+1, 3 Bradley Wilson-Dean (1*-2*-fx-3) 6+2, 4 David Bellego (2t-3-3-3-2) 13, 5 Nick Morris (3-3-2-2-1*) 11+1, 6 Adam Ellis (3-0-fx-2*) 5+1, 7 Zach Wajtknecht (2*-2*-0-fx) 4+2.

Pirates 34: 1 Hans Andersen (2-1^-3-0) 6, 2 Edward Kennett (0-0-2-1) 3, 3 Jack Holder (fx-1*-2-2-3) 8+1, 4 Richie Worrall (3-2-0-1) 6, 5 Timo Lahti (1-1-2-3-0) 7, 6 Paul Starke (1-0-1*-1*) 3+2, 7 James Shanes (0-0-1*-0) 1+1.

HT 1: Doyle, Andersen, Musielak, Kennett, 67.24 (4-2)

HT 2 (re-run): Ellis, Wajtknecht, Starke, Shanes, 66.77 (9-3)

HT 3 (re-run x2): Worrall, Bellego (15m tapes), Wilson-Dean, Holder (fell/dsq), 67.58 (12-6)

HT 4 (re-run): Morris, Wajtknecht, Lahti, Shanes, 66.96 (17-7)

HT 5: Bellego, Wilson-Dean, Andersen (tactical), Kennett, 66.40 (22-8)

HT 6 (re-run): Doyle, Musielak, Lahti, Starke, 67.90 (27-9)

HT 7: Morris, Worrall, Holder, Ellis, 67.52 (30-12)

HT 8: Musielak, Kennett, Starke, Wajtknecht, 67.18 (33-15)

HT 9: Bellego, Lahti, Shanes, Wilson-Dean (fell/dsq), awarded (36-18)

HT 10: Doyle, Holder, Musielak, Worrall, 67.18 (40-20)

HT 11 (re-run x2): Andersen, Morris (15m moving), Kennett, Ellis (fell/dsq), 68.05 (42-24)

HT 12: Wilson-Dean, Holder, Starke, Wajtknecht (fell/dsq), 68.70 (45-27)

HT 13: Lahti, Morris, Doyle, Andersen, 67.21 (48-30)

HT 14: Bellego, Ellis, Worrall, Shanes, 67.93 (53-31)

HT 15: Holder, Bellego, Morris, Lahti, 68.30 (56-34)

ECHO STAR RIDER: DAVID BELLEGO

IT COULD not have been a Pirates rider on another chastening night for the Dorset side.

The list of disappointing results is growing at an alarming rate, a far from ideal state of affairs with the business end of the season drawing closer.

Swindon were allowed to run riot and the scoreline might have been worse.

Several home riders were impressive but none more so than David Bellego – surely one of the signings of the season in the SGB Premiership.

The Frenchman racked up 13 points, two of which were scored from 15m back.