ELATED Josh Grajczonek skippered Pirates to 70th anniversary title success before admitting he had months earlier been living in fear of the axe.

The Queenslander won his third league championship with Poole following a difficult but ultimately successful year in the skull and crossbones.

Grajczonek endured a disappointing first half to the campaign but his upturn in form coincided with Pirates’ mid-season resurgence.

And having lifted the trophy on a memorable night at King’s Lynn, Grajczonek revealed he had earlier in the year been close to packing in speedway altogether.

He told the Daily Echo: “I honestly thought I was going to get the sack. I told my dad and my missus that if that happened, I was quitting and going home.

“It was frustrating because, as a rider, you don’t want to score three or four points.

“You go out to do the best you can and put a lot of pressure on yourself all the time. But I wasn’t getting the results and I thought Matt was going to make changes.

“I spoke to him because I wanted a bit of reassurance and he said ‘you are all right’. So I bought a couple of new engines and that really turned my season round, as well as riding a lot more.

“Matt made changes which helped us kick on. And when Bomber (Chris Harris) came in, that was an inspiration for us because he doesn’t give up after one or two laps, he goes for the whole four.

“There are a lot of different factors but full credit to Matt for keeping faith in me and letting me get over my stuff.”

The Dorset club roared off the base of the Premiership to bank an eighth league crown in 16 seasons.

An aggregate victory in Norfolk triggered wild celebrations in the pits and although Grajczonek’s Kevlars were soaked in champagne within minutes of victory, he did not touch a drop as by his own admission he “hates the stuff”!

Put to him that it had been a rollercoaster year, the 28-year-old said: “Not only for me but the team as well.

“In July, we were bottom of the table and Matt told us we had to start believing in ourselves.

“There is never any pressure from Matt and Middlo (team boss Neil Middleditch) but you feel the pressure because they have won so many titles.

“They are always at the sharp end of the field. When you sign for Poole you feel you have to maintain that and, thankfully, we did.

“The best thing about the team we had at the end of the season was that after every race we were going over to each other and saying ‘maybe you should do this to get your bike to go’.

“That’s a good thing because when the vibe is good in the pits, that makes the biggest difference.

“In the play-offs, everyone did their bit. We were all talking and making sure everyone was doing the right things.”