POOLE Pirates ‘can’t afford any more slip ups’ as they travel to Edinburgh in the SGB Championship and to Workington for the BSN Series semi-final second leg.

The two meetings precede Richard Lawson’s testimonial, which will take place at Wimborne Road on Sunday in a busy three days for Pirates.

The Cumbrian-born 38-year-old will be honoured just over 24 hours after riding for the side in the semi final in his home county.

The busy weekend begins with Pirate’s Friday night meeting with Edinburgh as Poole are set to sign off their regular league campaign knowing a victory is needed to keep the pressure on top-spot hopefuls Oxford.

Should Pirates take the points, Edinburgh would remain bottom of the table with one meeting to go, while Poole would finish their league fixtures with 34 points.

This would be the maximum that Oxford could achieve should they beat Plymouth, Scunthorpe and Glasgow.

Keeping the top spot would mean facing the fourth-placed finisher in the playoffs, while finishing second would lead to a draw against the third-placed side.

Previewing the busy schedule, Poole promoter Danny Ford said: “As we head north, the fixture against Edinburgh is absolutely pivotal.

“A win is essential to keep the pressure on Oxford as we fight for that all-important top spot in the league standings. We can't afford any more slip-ups.

“Moving on to Workington, we’ve set ourselves up nicely with a strong performance at home in the first leg.

“Our riders have already proven they like the track, so the focus is on closing this one out and securing our spot in BSN Series Final.”

Vinnie Foord has been striving to return to fitness from a shoulder injury, but recent scans showed his injury needs more recovery time.

Pirates would have loved to have Foord in their side for Workington in particular, with the youngster scoring an impressive paid eight from four rides.

But the side will continue to use guests for Foord, with Paul Starke coming in on Friday in Edinburgh against his present Championship club, and Ben Trigger on Saturday in Workington.

Both opponents have injury concerns of their own, with Edinburgh losing the services of Justin Sedgmen and Kye Thomsen.

The Monarchs have drafted in Drew Kemp and Troy Batchelor as guest replacements in their place.

Workington have lost Australian Tate Zischke and have seen Claus Vissing sidelined with a broken hand and shoulder injury.

Jye Etheridge and Jason Edwards replace the pair.

Poole’s second leg of the KO Cup semi final has also now been scheduled for Friday, September 6 in Scunthorpe.

Pirates hold a 31-point lead as they aim to reach their fourth cup final in as many seasons.

Teams: Edinburgh vs Poole, Friday, August 30.

Edinburgh: (TM John Campbell] 1: Josh Pickering; 2: Kye Thomson; 3: Lasse Fredriksen; 4: Michele Castagana (Capt); 5: Guest; 6: Max James; 7: Connor Coles.

Poole: (TM Dan Ford/Gary Havelock) 1: Richard Lawson; 2: Sam Hagon; 3: Ben Cook (Capt); 4: Zach Cook; 5: Tom Brennan; 6: Tobias Thomsen; 7: Paul Starke (Guest).

Workington vs Poole, Saturday, August 31.

Workington: (TM: James Denham] 1: Craig Cook (Capt); 2: Guest; 3: Antti Vuolas; 4: (Guest); 5: Troy Batchelor; 6: Sam McGurk; 7: Paul Starke.

Poole: (TM Dan Ford/Gary Havelock) 1: Richard Lawson; 2: Sam Hagon; 3: Ben Cook (Capt); 4: Zach Cook; 5: Tom Brennan; 6: Tobias Thomsen; 7: Ben Trigger (Guest).