POOLE boss Danny Ford believes the Grand Final against Oxford is the biggest clash in over half a decade.

After the rain-offs last week, the extra delay to the final also means that Pirates captain Ben Cook will be back from concussion in time to face the Cheetahs, just over a fortnight after a horror crash at Sheffield.

Ford said: “Us and Oxford have worked so hard to get to this stage all year, it’s the final we wanted.

“It’s shaping up to be a great final and we just don’t want the weather to make it a sub-standard race track.

“Two postponements are not ideal but I think it’s the right decision all round. We want this to be a proper spectacle for all our supporters.

(Image: Taylor Lanning)

“We’ve got three finals and it’s just unfortunate it’s so late in the year.

“Two of those finals are against Oxford who have been our biggest rivals this season. Obviously they are the only team to have won at Wimborne Road in recent years. They are going to be feisty encounters and nights not to be missed, that’s for sure.

“Without a doubt it’s the biggest fixture we’ve had for some time. It’s also perhaps one of the biggest in British speedway since the pandemic.

“Oxford have done incredible things to return to the sport and be in the position they are now.

“We’ve always been there or thereabouts when the finals come around.

“It’s two big teams and that extra bit of spice with two large travelling amounts of fans, which perhaps in the Championship we don’t see that much nowadays, because it’s more of a northern based league.

(Image: Taylor Lanning)

“To have two southern teams battling it out is going to be one hell of a spectacle.

“I can imagine Oxford will be bringing a large contingent of fans to Wimborne Road on the 9th.

“Our fans have always provided us with the eighth man on the biggest nights at the stadium down the years. There have been some classics and I expect this to be the same.

“The boys can hear the roar of the fans in the grandstand, that gives them such an extra boost.”

(Image: Taylor Lanning)

Ford is delighted that captain Cook will return to face the Cheetahs.

He added: “He has led us as captain all year, he’s been absolutely fantastic on and off the track. We really want him back in the team.

“It is a bonus for us as a consequence of the weather, that Ben will be back for the Grand Final and to lead our charge.”