FORD HAILS 2018 SEASON AS 'FAIREST EVER'

Poole boss Matt Ford hailed the 2018 SGB Premiership season as “the fairest I have ever known”.

Still on a high from Monday’s remarkable semi-final second leg against Somerset, Ford believes the sport’s high-profile annual general meeting ahead of the campaign “got most decisions right”.

A hugely competitive season saw several teams setting the pace at the top of the table at different stages, while the Pirates regrouped from a terrible start to propel themselves from bottom position in May to the play-offs in September.

Speaking ahead of Monday’s Premiership final first leg against King’s Lynn, Ford said: “It’s been a really entertaining season for me. So many teams have been in the mix for the play-offs during the season and, lest we forget, we were bottom at one point!

“Belle Vue were right in the frame, Swindon were leading the league and so were Wolverhampton at one point and Somerset as well.

“I don’t want to say for one second that King’s Lynn and Poole are the two best sides in the league simply because they have reached the final but clearly both teams have got there on merit.

“But overall I think it’s been the fairest league I have ever known. I’ve heard the length and breadth of the country that crowds have been healthy, particularly during the great spell of weather we had.

“Post Cardiff also had an impact and more people have been coming to speedway after the Grand Prix there, which is a great bonus to us as well.

“Some of the decisions at the AGM, as always, didn’t go down well with the supporters, but with what we have to play with these days, where we simply can’t afford the top stars, I think what we have is an incredibly entertaining league and I think the crowds have proved that is the case.”

Don’t miss Monday’s special bumper commemorative Premiership final programme, available for just £4 and packed with great interviews and images.