KYLE Newman admits he’ll be happy to fulfil any role Pirates chief Matt Ford throws at him.

The teenage Poole-born rider is a shock inclusion in the Elite League club’s squad for the forthcoming season.

Ford is undecided on whether Newman will share the number seven race jacket on a doubling-up basis with an undisclosed more experienced rider.

Or whether the 19-year-old will assume the number-eight role as standby cover for injuries and unavailability to the Dorset outfit’s reserves.

Newman, who will also ride for Newcastle in the Premier League this year, says he’s just happy to have been called up by the club he has supported since his boyhood days.

The former Buccaneers star, speaking to the Echo before taking part in yesterday’s Australian Championship third round at Broken Hill, said: “Just to be involved with Pirates is going to be awesome.

“To be honest, I can hardly believe it. It’s still sinking in.

“I’ll take up any role Matt wants me to do. I’m ready to take what opportunities there are for me.

“Last year I only averaged 3.9 in the Premier League (with Birmingham), so it’s going to be a big step up for me going into the Elite.

“But after the winter I’ve had here in Australia, and with the new machinery I’m going to have back home in England, I feel ready to take on that challenge.

“It’ll be hard. I’ll have my ups and downs. But I’ll put in 110 per cent and try to make it successful.”

Newman, who won the Queensland under-21 title last month, added: “I’m really ready for the new European season.

“We’re working hard in the gym as well as riding over here and I’m building four, maybe five, chassis’ for the new season.

“It could be a really busy year for me and, hopefully, I can get some more meetings on the continent, either individual or team. So I’m really looking forward to tapes up in March.”

Ford isn’t going to put any pressure on Newman by setting him targets, despite likening him to a young Lee Richardson at Poole in 1996.

That should help the development of Newman, who has tasted National League title-winning glory with Weymouth and Bournemouth and also ridden for Newport in the third tier as well as for Poole’s academy side.

Newman said his aims with Poole, if he was fortunate enough to make any appearances for them, was to “firstly improve my starts, which I’ve been working on in Australia”.

He added: “Apart from that, my goal will be to try and score three or four points consistently in each meeting.

“If I can do that and build from there, I’d be really happy, although you always want to score bundles of points.”

Assessing his performances in Australia so far this winter, Newman said: “My results have been good and I have more self-confidence.

“The difference between this year and last year is I go into races thinking I can win them.

“That’s why I wasn’t surprised I won the Queensland junior title ahead of Josh Grajczonek and Josh Auty.

“Steve Koppe and Marcus Williams have done an awesome job on my machinery and I can’t thank them, Gavin Elmes and everyone else who has helped me in Australia enough.”