TEAM boss Neil Middleditch says the disappointing end to last season has given Poole Pirates extra motivation to get “back on track” and secure another league title in 2024.

Pirates won the BSN Series in 2023 and topped the SGB Championship league phase, before losing in both the Knockout Cup and league grand final.

Poole hosted their annual press and practice day this afternoon and begin their season at home against Oxford Cheetahs on Friday (7.30pm).

Asked if it had been a long winter after the way the 2023 campaign ended, Middleditch told the Daily Echo: “It isn’t easy. By our standards, it was a bad season people said.

“But we made every final, we finished top of the league and unfortunately we just couldn’t get it across the line in the Knockout Cup or the grand final.

“But it was just one of those things. Things didn’t go our way and that’s just the way it is.

“It was the luck of the draw. We just weren’t good enough on the nights.

“There were no excuses from me, we were just beaten by the better teams.

“We’ve just got to put that behind us now and move forward this season.

“I’ve said to the boys I need this, I’ve got 10 titles, I want number 11. That was my chat to them, let’s get back on track and get it back again.”

Pirates have a much-changed septet for 2024, with four new faces compared to the class of 2023. Teenagers Sam Hagon and Max Perry have come in at reserve, while Dane Tobias Thomsen and former Glasgow Tigers captain Tom Brennan have also been recruited. They join Richard Lawson, Zach Cook and new skipper Ben Cook.

“We’ve got four new riders in this year, so time will tell,” said Middleditch, when asked for his thoughts on the new-look side.

“But I like what I see. I know very little about Tobias to be fair, if I’m being honest.

“I know he didn’t have a very successful sojourn to the UK before, but I heard he’s been practicing hard and have heard good things about him, so hopefully he can carry on from that.

“I’ve seen Sam ride a few times and I liked what I saw. He’s a good little racer. He’s had a summer in Australia, so he’s been riding all year, which is good for him.

“Max, I don’t know a great deal about him. I know he’s only 16 years old, so we’ve got to give the kid some time and I know he’s coming off the back of a nasty injury last year.

"But all in all, it looks good.”