CHRIS Holder has failed to overcome his collarbone injury – leaving Pirates without the influential Australian for this evening’s Knockout Cup clash.

The Wimborne Road outfit welcome Belle Vue to Dorset tonight for the first leg encounter (7.30pm) in a competition which boasts the club’s best opportunity of silverware, given their poor Elite League form.

But Holder, whose return from the problem hit the buffers when he fell against Lakeside last week, has revealed he is not ready to take to the track again.

He told the Echo: “I’m getting there. I’ve been in an Oxygen tank and I’ve had physio every second day.

“But I don’t think I’ll ride. I don’t want to hurt it for Saturday.”

Holder is set to feature in a Grand Prix qualifier in Croatia at the weekend, so Pirates will use rider replacement for the young star.

One man unlikely to return for Pirates, however, is Karol Baran.

The Polish rider was “rested” from the side which lost at Wolverhampton on Monday, and is not named in the line-up for tonight’s meeting, with Buccaneer Jay Herne set to step in.

Meanwhile, Poole-born Jordan Frampton will line up for the Aces as a guest for the unavailable Kevin Doolan.

Frampton scored a paid maximum when he returned to Wimborne Road with Coventry earlier this season.

The Manchester outfit also include Rye House star Luke Bowen in their line-up as a guest for Morten Risager.

Pirates: 1 Hans Andersen, 2 Daniel Davidsson, 3 Joe Screen, 4 rider replacement for Chris Holder, 5 Bjarne Pedersen, 6 Paul Fry, 7 Jay Herne.

Belle Vue: 1 Krzysztof Kasprzak, 2 James Wright, 3 Patrick Hougaard, 4 Luke Bowen, 5 Ulrich Ostergaard, 6 Jordan Frampton, 7 Charlie Gjedde.