PROMOTER Danny Ford revealed Pirates had already reached agreements with two riders over team places for 2022 – but remained tight-lipped on their identities.

The Wimborne Road side are bidding for two trophies with their class of 2021 this week.

Poole will host Edinburgh in the second leg of the Championship Knockout Cup tomorrow (7.30pm).

And after Tuesday’s rain-off against Glasgow, Pirates will now visit them on Thursday in the SGB Championship league play-off final, before hosting them in the second leg 24 hours later.

But Ford revealed how he was also already thinking ahead to plans for 2022, with the Daily understanding Pirates are set to remain in the second tier.

Asked whether he was having conversations with riders about next season, Ford replied: “I would imagine in an ideal world you would be able to keep your full team but unfortunately that’s not the way speedway goes.

“You are messing with averages and you have to juggle the team around and look for improvements and bargains on averages, which makes it a very cut-throat sport.

“We are having discussions now. A couple of agreements have been made but nothing we want to announce just yet – not until the (promoters’) AGM has passed and everything is finalised.

“The last thing we want to do is end up with egg on our face and we have to go back on a deal.”

Put to him that it was nice to have those signings in place, the Oakdale resident replied: “It gives us a great foundation, it gives us that stability for next year.

“It’s such a fast-moving sport, speedway, not just on track but behind the scenes as well.

“You have got to be quick to make these deals, you know? Particularly the way we have been riding this year, all of our riders have been fantastic.

“They will be in a lot people’s thoughts and a lot of people will want to sign them. To get the first couple done is kind of a weight off your shoulders.

“Then you can take your time a little bit, see what comes out of these last few fixtures and put together a strong team for next year.”