PAWLICKI SIDELINED

Friday 14th September 2012, 20:55

Poole have been dealt a huge blow ahead of their trip to Birmingham on Monday after Polish starlet Piotr Pawlicki was ruled out with a dislocated shoulder.

The 17-year old – with five wins and paid wins for Pirates in just eight rides for the club – suffered the injury in a track crash in Poland on Wednesday night and could face surgery according to his Swedish club Piraterna's official website.

Poole will cover for him using rider replacement, but disappointed Pirates boss Matt Ford admitted his side faces a tough task to collect the three points needed to seal top spot in the Elite League.

He said: "We were stunned when we received confirmation from Piotr today that the doctors have advised him not to race for at least a week.

“Of course, it's a major blow for him and for us. He was hoping to excel in the Polish round of the World Under-21 Finals (in Tarnow) on Saturday, and of course we believed he could be a key man for us at Birmingham

"We will be covering for him on Monday with rider replacement and that makes our task so much harder. However, our thoughts are with Piotr for a speedy recovery. He has made a big impact in just two meetings for us and will be sorely missed.”

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