FIRED-up Matt Ford has issued an impassioned plea to speedway chiefs on behalf of Britain’s cash-strapped clubs: Give us some help.

Pirates boss Ford voiced a stark warning to shale sport authorities over what he claimed to be the sorry financial state of clubs throughout the country.

Ford revealed that Poole, traditionally viewed as one of the Elite League’s powerhouses, had needed to be topped up by owners’ personal funds this year.

The Pirates chief also said he was convinced that rival promoters had been forced to do the same in order to meet their financial commitments in 2013.

Ford was speaking after controversially calling off last night’s scheduled meeting with Lakeside – partly citing monetary reasons for the shock decision.

Pirates claimed that the British Speedway Promoters’ Association (BSPA) had ordered them to revert to their original one-to-seven against Lakeside – rather than their newly re-declared line-up – following an injury to Przemyslaw Pawlicki.

But with Ford confirming he had invested £20,000 in making changes to Poole’s team, he was unwilling to do that and instead called off the clash.

Ford said the development was the latest issue to annoy him – with Pirates also twice left aggrieved at being fined £775 for riders missing meetings this season.

In a candid interview with the Daily Echo, Ford said: “There is a £20,000 investment which has been made by the club. I have bought two engines and another van this week.

“I have had a couple of fines already this year for things that are so basic and unnecessary. You can’t keep chucking away money like this.

“We have got to be sensible. Clubs are not wealthy. There is no such thing as a wealthy club. Every promoter in the country is topping up their own club at this point in time – that is a certainty.

“To think we can keep making these type of investments to improve things and not be given any sort of assistance, even if it is just purely common sense, is such a shame. We have really got to start helping each other and not being a hindrance.

“While it is me feeling it this week, it will be somebody else next week for something else. The same people making these decisions will inevitably be caught by them in the future.

“They are so restricting that when you make these huge commitments which Elite League clubs are making to try to stay competitive and to try to run a business to keep the fans happy, you just have to have some form of help.”

Meanwhile, Ford said Pirates would not receive a punishment for the postponement as Lakeside had been in agreement. When contacted by the Daily Echo, the BSPA politely declined to comment on all issues surrounding the postponement.

Hammers co-promoter Jon Cook said: “We respect the fact that each club must make their own decision on what is right and wrong for their own business. We cannot and would not make another club stage a meeting.”