PIRATES captain Magnus Zetterstrom has revealed they have held a special team meeting in a bid to re-focus their efforts on winning the Skybet Elite League title.

Many Poole RIAS fans have been dismayed with the way the Dorset club were hammered by more than 36 points in their final two regular away league matches of the season.

Pirates, albeit with a five-man team following a first heat injury to Bjarne Pedersen, were crushed 65-29 at Oxford on August 27 - their joint biggest Elite League defeat.

Then they were walloped 68-25 at Belle Vue on September 15 with a six-man team, believed to be the biggest league defeat in Poole's 57-year history over the 15-heat formula.

Fair enough, Pirates had already qualified for the two-legged title play-off final before those matches and they were missing top riders.

But the hefty reverses have left a hollow feeling among many of the Wimborne Road faithful, who are now questioning whether Zetterstrom and the boys can pick themselves up for the final against in-form duo Wolves or Ipswich next month.

Zetterstrom said: "I spoke to Matt Ford immediately after the Belle Vue meeting had finished and said we needed to have a chat with all the boys to make sure we are re-focused.

"I know there has been a lot of talk about averages, that we have been dropping points.

"But that has not been the case, the team has been genuinely struggling and that is why we had a meeting before the Eastbourne match at home last week.

"We got the whole team together after the pre-meeting track walk and talked things through."

Zetterstrom, whose side's scheduled challenge match at Eastbourne on Saturday was rained-off, added: "We had to have that meeting to feel that we are all together, that we can do this thing, carry off the title.

"We decided there were things we could or couldn't do as individual riders in the rest of the challenge matches we are riding before the final.

"People had been testing new engines and changing their set-ups at Oxford and Belle Vue and that is a regular thing for riders to do in meetings like that when there isn't anything hanging on them.

"So we've agreed that yes riders can do some tests but if you are not happy go back to basics with your engines that are going well.

"Don't go out and score four zeros because of your equipment because the fans don't want to see that.

"I think everyone saw the result of our meeting when we beat Eastbourne 67-46."

Zetterstrom, whose team host a Polish Select on Thursday in their final challenge match before the final, continued: "We decided we all want to go out there and win these meetings.

"We agreed the main thing was to get the team in form together again, get back to what we were like in the middle of the season, both individually and as a team unit.

"The big gap between fixtures played a part in the two big defeats. Before we were so busy and then we had a period when we had not so many meetings.

"It is tough to still have the same inspiration to do well in challenge matches.

"But we have one more before the final and we must go out to win that one handsomely to show everyone we mean business."

Polish Select will line up with World Under-21 champion Robert Miskowiak against Pirates on Thursday.

Also in their side are Tomasz Chrzanowski, Adrian Miedzinski, Marcin Rempala, Pawel Hlib, Piotr Swiderski and Karol Zabik.

Poole's Matej Ferjan finished eighth in the Czech Golden Helmet at Pardubice yesterday behind winner Leigh Adams.

Belle Vue boss John Perrin believes his side have a great chance of winning the Knockout Cup.

The Aces face Swindon at Kirky Lane tonight with just a six-point deficit to pull back after a solid display in Wiltshire inspired by 17-points from World title hopeful Jason Crump.

Perrin said: "After all the problems we've encountered this season it would be great to win the cup."