WHAT a difference a month makes.

Four weeks ago today, Pirates were bottom of the SGB Premiership and 11 points adrift of leaders Swindon.

The closure of Rye House that afternoon had bumped Poole to the base of the league, a position they held only briefly due to thrashing Belle Vue hours later.

Three more wins and a losing point later, alongside the arrival of fans’ favourite Chris Harris from the Rockets, Matt Ford’s men were in business.

And following tonight’s 61-29 shellacking of King’s Lynn in front of a bumper crowd, Pirates have slashed the deficit of four weeks ago by eight points and are just three behind table-toppers Somerset.

Harris survived a horrifying crash against the Stars but most pleasing for Ford will be the fact every one of his team has upped their game with the business end of the season closing in.

The visitors had no answer as Pirates reeled off seven maximums and 10 heat advantages in total.

Poole tracked the same personnel which had secured a big win at Leicester on Monday, although Kacper Woryna dropped to reserve.

For the visitors, Pirates asset Kyle Newman guested for Jason Garrity for the second meeting in succession and Robert Lambert shifted to number one.

The Stars spearhead, off the back of two 15-point maximums, had his path blocked by Brady Kurtz and Josh Grajczonek in the first two turns of the opener and could not make headway.

Newman was quickest from the tapes in the reserves’ duel but Woryna scorched under his rival on turn two and Frederik Jakobsen followed suit on the next bend.

The dream start got better with a third 5-1. Nicolai Klindt and Richie Worrall gated and although Thomas Jorgensen slipped past Worrall on the home straight, the Pirates man hit back a lap later.

Niels-Kristian Iversen was too quick for Harris in heat four but Poole still led by 12.

King’s Lynn grabbed their first heat advantage next, only for the fast-starting Kurtz and skipper Grajczonek to return the favour.

The meeting took an alarming turn when Harris lifted violently on the home straight and came off, with Ty Proctor unable to avoid running over him. Amazingly, both riders were on their feet within minutes.

In Harris’s absence, Woryna stopped any damage in the re-run by blitzing out of the traps.

Grajczonek and Jakobsen came out on top in a tremendous battle with Newman in heat eight before Worrall brilliantly blunted Robert Lambert’s tactical in heat nine.

Kurtz and Grajczonek then combined for their third heat advantage as a pair, the latter overpowering Jorgensen.

Harris, sporting a new helmet, was third in a shared heat 11 won by Robert Lambert, who had found his groove.

But Poole had the tightest of grips on proceedings and Jakobsen and Klindt racked up the hosts’ fifth maximum.

The magnificent Kurtz took his fourth win in heat 13 and Harris blasted between Iversen and Robert Lambert out of turn two for a terrific 5-1.

Heat 14 proved easy for Worrall and Woryna and Robert Lambert won an academic final showdown.

RIDERS’ SCORES AND HEAT DETAILS

Pirates 61: 1 Brady Kurtz (3-3-3-3) 12, 2 Josh Grajczonek (2*-1-3-1) 7+1, 3 Nicolai Klindt (3-0-1-2*) 6+1, 4 Richie Worrall (2*-2-3-3-2) 12+1, 5 Chris Harris (2-fx-1*-2*-1*) 6+3, 6 Kacper Woryna (3-3-2-2*) 10+1, 7 Frederik Jakobsen (2*-1*-2*-3) 8+3.

King’s Lynn 29: 1 Robert Lambert (1-3-2-3-0-3) 12, 2 Michael Palm Toft (0-1-1-2-r) 4, 3 Ty Proctor (r-f) 0, 4 Thomas Jorgensen (1-2-0) 3, 5 Niels-Kristian Iversen (3-2-0-1-r) 6, 6 Simon Lambert (0-0-1*-0-0) 1+1, 7 Kyle Newman, guest (1-0-0-1-1) 3.

HT 1: Kurtz, Grajczonek, R Lambert, Palm Toft, 58.84 (5-1)

HT 2: Woryna, Jakobsen, Newman, S Lambert, 59.34 (10-2)

HT 3 (re-run): Klindt, Worrall, Jorgensen, Proctor, 59.38 (15-3)

HT 4: Iversen, Harris, Jakobsen, Newman, 59.75 (18-6)

HT 5: R Lambert, Worrall, Palm Toft, Klindt, 59.28 (20-10)

HT 6: Kurtz, Iversen, Grajczonek, S Lambert, 59.85 (24-12)

HT 7 (re-run): Woryna, Jorgensen, Proctor, Harris (fell/dsq), 60.34 (27-15)

HT 8: Grajczonek, Jakobsen, Palm Toft, Newman, 61.56 (32-16)

HT 9: Worrall, R Lambert (tac), Klindt, Iversen, 59.94 (36-18)

HT 10 (re-run): Kurtz, Palm Toft, Grajczonek, Jorgensen, 60.50 (40-20)

HT 11: R Lambert, Woryna, Harris, Palm Toft (ret), 60.47 (43-23)

HT 12: Jakobsen, Klindt, Newman, S Lambert, 61.37 (48-24)

HT 13: Kurtz, Harris, Iversen, R Lambert, 60.47 (53-25)

HT 14: Worrall, Woryna, Newman, S Lambert (ret), 61.25 (58-26)

HT 15: R Lambert, Worrall, Harris, Iversen (ret), 60.69 (61-29)

ECHO STAR RIDER: RICHIE WORRALL

RICHIE Worrall had a brilliant night... and he was not the only one.

Worrall beat the flying Robert Lambert en route to one of his two wins and he deservedly earned a place in heat 15 for a string of fine rides.

Brady Kurtz had sublime pace throughout and never looked like being beaten.

But the real winner here was Pirates as a team, with every rider delivering. It appears the Wimborne Road club are running into form at just the right time.

Poole were bottom of the table a month ago but with the team firing as a unit, they are serious contenders for a play-off spot.