WHILE the Turbo Twins finished the job, expert eyes would have fallen on an unsung, yet key hero last night – Pirates promoter Matt Ford.

Darcy Ward and Chris Holder, of course, were there when it mattered most at Monmore Green, snatching a 5-1 in heat 15 to win the meeting and maintain Pirates’ unbeaten start to 2012.

But Ford’s decision to track Ludvig Lindgren instead of in-form doubling-up partner Sam Masters was the real masterstroke.

Brother of Monmore track specialist and Wolves spearhead Freddie, Ludvig was the crucial cog in a Pirates wheel that, on more than one occasion last night, threatened to stop turning.

Having looked set to get off to the perfect start when Holder and Ricky Kling flew from the gate in front of Pontus Aspgren and Freddie Lindgren in heat one, Pirates were rocked when Kling caught a rut on lap three and performed a spectacular 360-degree flip, leaving the visitors on a 3-3 rather than a 5-1.

Ludvig Lindgren took advantage of the out-of-shape Ricky Wells in the reserve race, though, with Todd Kurtz hanging on in third for a Pirates 4-2.

But Dennis Andersson overcooked it on a tricky surface in heat three to allow Nicolai Klindt and Ty Proctor through to finish behind the fast-gating Ward.

Home star Tai Woffinden showed Adrian Miedzinski and Kurtz a clean pair of heels in the fourth race of the night, but with Kurtz impressing and the misfiring Lukasz Sowka lacking speed, Pirates were able to maintain their two-point advantage as the track grader chugged on.

But that was to be the last time Poole Coastal Aluminium were to lead during the regulation heats.

The hosts, however, were restricted to 4-2 and 3-3 scores in heats five and six, with Kling’s lone furrow in heat five one of the meeting highlights.

With Holder having been excluded for forcing Proctor to lay down his bike, the Swede was out on his own against the Aussie and Klindt.

But battling Kling exchanged places with Proctor before rounding the home favourite on the final lap.

Ward packed up calling for a re-run in heat seven after the young Australian had collided with Woffinden at the start of the race.

Referee Tony Steele was having none of it, though, and Dennis Andersson’s victory should have been worth more than the 3-3 it gleaned.

Without a heat advantage since the second race, Pirates were in desperate need to edge closer to parity at the start of race 11.

Woffinden split Holder and Kling early on, but with the Swede close behind, the Brit had it all to do to hang on.

But hang on he did, with Kling and Holder having to settle for a 3-3.

Kindt suffered a spectacular spill under pressure from the hard-charging Ward in heat 12, with the Dane landing awkwardly on his shoulder.

Klindt was excluded from the re-run and received treatment for a suspected dislocated shoulder, which handed Ward and heat partner Ludvig Lindgren the ideal chance to tie up a race advantage.

But despite sitting comfortably on a 5-1 going into the final lap, sole Wolves rider Wells passed Poole’s Swedish reserve.

And to cap a terrible heat, Wells soared past Ward as the Aussie tried to slow up the race and allow Ludvig Lindgren to catch up.

It told the tale of the night at that stage, with Pirates simply failing to fire on all cylinders.

On a greasy surface, Woffinden clashed with Holder on turn two, lap one of heat 13, which relegated the Wolves man to the back.

Woffinden did hit back to pass third-placed Miedzinski, though, before the Pole returned the favour to finish behind Freddie Lindgren and Holder.

And with Pirates needing at least a 3-3 in race 14 to realistically stay alive, Andersson and Ludvig Lindgren delivered the goods in a ding-dong battle with Wells and Proctor to secure Poole’s first 5-1 of the night. That levelled the scores going into the final heat and set up a perfect script for Ward and Holder to push their way past Freddie Lindgren and Woffinden and storm to victory in the last.