I WAS as disappointed as every Pirates supporter and the management team that we lost our unbeaten home record this season on Wednesday against Coventry.

The Bees arrived in Dorset full of confidence on the back of 13 successive home and away league wins. Despite Bjarne Pedersen and Troy Batchelor romping home to a maximum heat win in heat one, our visitors returned the compliment in heat two, took the lead a race later and never looked back.

I don't believe we underestimated them. After our victory against title chasers Swindon a week earlier, we went into the match knowing it was going to be another tough encounter, but both Craig (Boyce) and Jason (Doyle) took a couple of races to warm up by which time the rampant Bees had built up a commanding lead.

But collectively we have to take the blame for any defeat. It's the old cliche: United we stand, united we fall.

Of course my own circumstances haven't helped after twisting the left kneecap I broke recently during my first ride at Peterborough on Monday night, forcing me to pull out of the meeting at my old track.

I rode for the first time with a knee brace on Wednesday, but it felt a bit wobbly in my opening ride and frustratingly cost me a win against Chris Harris who took full advantage.

Agreed, our personal pride has been dented and it's never nice losing at home particularly against our old rivals Coventry.

However, the way I see the bigger picture is this: If ever there was a right time to lose a home meeting - the way the Elite League table has panned out - this was it.

Pirates were always going to finish third or fourth in the table prior to Thursday's cut-off date, so although it would have been great to have won at Peterborough and at home against the Bees, we would still be preparing for a one-off semi-final play-off away leg at either Coventry or Swindon on Monday week.

We may have lost the battle on Wednesday night, but we certainly haven't lost the war just yet. I'm the first to admit that there is a very good reason why no Elite League club has won a one-off semi-final away from home. It's a really tough ask.

But the one thing I do know about this Pirates 2007 side is that at different times during the season all of the boys individually have produced and beaten some of the best riders in this league.

What we need to do on Monday week is show that grit and determination and all peak at the right time.

Following Wednesday's result I know a lot of speedway critics have written off our chances. Good. Let them.

They're probably the same people who looked at our team before a wheel had been turned this season and predicted we wouldn't have a sniff of reaching the play-offs.

Well, we're there very much on merit and I know whoever we meet in nine days time will face a Jason Crump who will be ready to score as many points and help squeeze every point from the rest of the boys to try and create a piece of history.

This is the reason I came back to Poole Speedway after 12 years for nights like Monday week.

Pirates co-promoter Matt Ford has been a tower of strength behind the scenes. He was the man who sold Poole Speedway to me again back in the winter and without doubt has been the best promoter I have ridden for since the original regime led the line back in the Eighties and Nineties.

He wants his' Pirates back on top of the speedway tree after a couple of years where the club have missed out on the play-offs.

I would dearly love to help him realise his dream in my first season back in the blue and white.

POLISH PARTY TIME I'M here in the fanatical town of Bydgoszcz for tonight's Polish Grand Prix where the locals know how to throw a speedway party.

There will be the usual capacity of 25,000 partisan Poles looking for their hero' Tomasz Gollob to produce his party piece once more and pull off another mesmerising win.

But Gollob and his Polish team-mates can reckon on the likes of world championship leader Nicki Pedersen, fellow Aussie Leigh Adams - who is looking for his third successive GP win - and Hans Andersen to have a say in the final outcome for sure.

Not forgetting yours truly. I may be wearing a knee brace this evening but I'm still aiming for respectability in what has been a rocky road of niggly injuries for me in the Grand Prix this season.

SHIELD SHOWDOWNS AFTER Pirates final home league match of the season against Coventry last week, this Wednesday we begin the defence of our Craven Shield crown with two visitors in the shape of Reading and Lakeside at Wimborne Road.

I fancy our opponents will catch the home team on the rebound after last Wednesday's result.

By the look of the faces in the pits after heat 15, it's a team who really hate the taste of defeat and if we have to take out our loss this week on Reading and Lakeside then so be it.

Or better still ... Monday week.