BOSS Neil Middleditch is determined to see Pirates justify the bookmakers’ faith by living up to their tag of title front-runners.

Poole Coastal Aluminium have been installed as early favourites to retain the Elite League crown in 2012.

The defending champions, who have named the joint-youngest line-up in the division, top the betting lists after their treble-winning success in 2011.

Lakeside, last week picked out by Pirates promoter Matt Ford as a team to watch, are second favourites ahead of Coventry.

Long-serving team manager Middleditch told the Daily Echo: “Lakeside are very hard to beat at home and Coventry have assembled a great team with three Brits as their spearheads, so I think the bookies are pretty close to the correct forecast.

“We have been used to being favourites for the past few years because Matt, Giles (Hartwell, co-promoter) and I work very hard to assemble a good team.

“The bookies think we have done a good job again this year and, hopefully, we can prove them right.”

Rookie Todd Kurtz, meanwhile, is still expected to be one of Pirates’ young guns, despite the withdrawal of Newport from the Premier League.

The reserve, who rode for Newport last season, had been declared in the Wasps side before the British Speedway Promoters’ Association confirmed the club’s exit from the sport’s second tier.

Pirates were planning to use the Australian on a doubling-up basis.

Ford told poolepirates.co: “We can continue to use him on his three-point assessed Elite League average as a permanent reserve. And as he is keen to prove himself at the higher level, I am happy to afford him the opportunity to do so.”