NEIL Middleditch watched Pirates keep it close at the Oaktree Arena before admitting Somerset may have underestimated his resurgent side.

Poole restricted their hosts to a 46-44 victory in the SGB Premiership play-off semi-final first leg, the visitors ensuring not a single 5-1 went against them thanks to a gutsy display.

The teams are set to reconvene at Wimborne Road in 13 days’ time, with Pirates – bottom of the table at the start of July – seeking to reach their first play-off final in three years.

But Middleditch says he will not be complacent, a trap he feels the Rebels may have fallen into on Monday.

He told the Daily Echo: “I think we have a slight advantage. I’ve been in this game too long to be complacent but the first-leg result was more than we could have expected.

“It hasn’t been our greatest hunting ground but the boys rode well and worked as a unit and we proved we can beat the best.

“Beforehand, I would have been fairly happy with a six to eight-point deficit but 10 would have been a mountain to climb.

“Somerset may have underestimated us because they had had some good results against us. I heard various things about how they were going to smash us.

“The track walk before the meeting was really serious and the riders realised the gravity of the situation.

“We had worked so hard to get there and Matt (Ford, boss) had put so much faith in the riders that I felt we owed it to everybody.

“My brief to the boys was that if they had anything left in the tank, I wanted it now.

“We needed to pull together as a team. Jason Doyle couldn’t win the meeting on his own and the plan was to let him get on with it.

“I said to the boys, ‘if you can beat him, then beat him’ but let him get on with it and we will concentrate on the other riders.

“That was the main thing and the boys did a great job in doing that. From one to seven, everyone played their part.

“For me, from being bottom on July 4 to being in a potential final position is pretty amazing.”

A winner of seven league titles as a team manager, Middleditch expects a reaction from Somerset in the return leg.

He said: “Garry May will be firing his troops up. They are a bit of a wounded animal now. They didn’t expect that from us on Monday.

“It was a great result and everyone is congratulating us but it is not over yet and I’m very wary of the Rebels. They perform well at Wimborne Road.

“I’m very reserved. We’re not there yet but let’s, hopefully, get the job done.

“I’d like to wrap up all the boys in cotton wool and put them in a box but there is quite a bit of racing still to do, so fingers crossed everyone comes through the next couple of weeks safely.”