CAPTAIN Davey Watt reflected on Pirates’ heaviest defeat of the season and insisted his men would refuse to let it dent morale.

The Elite League leaders were put to the sword by high-flying rivals Eastbourne on Saturday night.

Former Pirates hero and Eagles number one Bjarne Pedersen scored 11, with Cameron Woodward hammering home paid 18, as the hosts displayed their quality.

Pirates stars Chris Holder and Darcy Ward were the only visiting riders to register heat wins in a thumping 57-35 loss.

The emphatic result saw Eastbourne close the gap at the top of the table to just two points, but Coventry’s away win at Lakeside was chalked off after a protest from the home side saw Edward Kennett’s 15 points wiped from the Bees’ score.

Kennett has been suspended for seven days pending a hearing over alleged use of an illegal silencer.

But experienced Watt was in no mood to get too downbeat ahead of a busy week for Pirates, who face a trip to Wolves tonight followed by back-to-back fixtures against Swindon on Wednesday and Thursday.

The Australian told the Daily Echo: “I don’t exactly know where it went wrong, they were just strong all night. We seemed to fade and as the track got slicker, we were worse.

“Eastbourne are very good on their home track and they showed that.”

Watt added: “We didn’t have a full team again. Darcy had a bit of a sore leg and Christian Hefenbrock got stuck in traffic, so it was just one of those days when things didn’t really go our way.

“It was one of those meetings where it just didn’t happen. But we are not going to let it get us down.”

Pirates might have feared the worst when they suffered a setback prior to arriving at Eastbourne.

Reserve star Hefenbrock was unable to attend as he was stranded in the traffic chaos on the M25. Pirates gave an emergency call-up to James Holder, who was intending to make the trip as part of brother Chris’s support crew.

But Eastbourne, who scored consistently throughout their line-up, proved far too strong.

Pirates will get the opportunity to immediately bounce back when they face Wolves at Monmore Green this evening. The hosts have been weakened by injury, with Freddie Lindgren out and Peter Karlsson a major doubt.