BRITISH star Danny King said it would be a “great honour” to lead Pirates as captain for 2020 and added: “I can’t wait to put the skull and crossbones on.”

The 33-year-old was snapped up by the Wimborne Road outfit as a marquee name for their SGB Championship campaign this season.

He revealed the move came around quickly and admitted it has been “crazy” to think he would be leading the Dorset club in the second tier.

But in admitting he “always fancied” representing Pirates, the 2016 British champion is eager to get going when the league season is given the green light to begin.

Describing his move to Pirates over the winter, King told the Daily Echo: “It all escalated really quickly to be honest.

“I was under the impression I was going to be back at Sheffield and then Sheffield told me they were thinking of going up but Poole were coming down.

“Then I got offered to be captain as well and it’s just crazy to sit and think one of the biggest, if not the biggest club in speedway history, I’m there now and I am captaining the side.

“Albeit we are a league below but it’s a great honour for me.

“I have been lucky enough to ride at some great clubs in my career. Poole is one of the clubs I have always fancied but it’s just never been right or worked out.

“I have finally got that opportunity now and I get a chance to lead the team. It’s a big thing for me and I can’t wait to put the skull and crossbones on.”

King managed to get out on track on Saturday, as part of a behind closed doors practice session at Leicester.

He is also set to be part of Pirates’ planned track time, held at an undisclosed location later this month.

But with the wait ongoing for competitive racing to begin in Britain, the Maidstone-born charger insisted the delay to the season amid COVID-19 had been difficult.

“It’s been tough,” said King.

“First off we weren’t sure how long it would go on for. We were told ‘here’s April, we will make a decision in May’. Then ‘we will make a decision in June’ and so now we are used to it being postponed.

“You spend a lot of money in the winter months getting your bikes prepared for the season and now you’ve had no chance to earn any money back – let alone any money for anything else.

“It’s difficult but there’s probably a lot of people in a lot worse situations than me or other speedway riders, so we have to stay positive and hope for the best.

“As the economy is starting to come back to normal now, it’s looking a bit more likely that August is looking a bit realistic.

“Without getting too excited, I’m just trying to stay positive at the same time.

“Hopefully we will get some positive news soon and then we’ve actually got something to train and look forward to.”